Danganronpa Dark Storm
by RMaster
Summary: Hey people, this is my first ever fanfiction! Go ahead and give me feedback! My first story is a parody of Danganronpa with an all new cast, but many familiar elements from Danganronpa. Annie Bless is our protagonist who is the ultimate therapist. She is excited to be invited to Future Hope High School, but finds herself in a killing game with seventeen other students.
1. Chapter 1-Annie's Introduction

This is where my story starts. I suppose first up I should tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Annie Bless and I am the ultimate therapist. You might call it crazy that a sixteen year old girl could even be considered a therapist, but yes this is true. I started off as an assistant at a therapist's office as going into this field has always been my passion and I would do anything to get my foot in the door. But right away, even at the demands of the actual therapists to not cut in, I was able to help the patients with their problems and they all said I was able to help them with a variety of issues. Word of this got out all over my area and soon enough I been to many therapist offices helping patients and eventually earning my title as the ultimate therapist.

Now here is where my title really comes into action. I caught the attention of a certain high school. That high school is Future Hope Academy. This school literally only takes the best of the best and guarantees success to the students who graduate. Of course I had to accept this invitation. I was already considered the ultimate therapist, but with this education I would go even further. I was stoked! But unfortunately, the beginning of my time at this school was nothing like I had expected.

I was feeling pretty tired as I woke up from what I assumed was a long and deep sleep. As I slowly got my vision together, I realized I was in a classroom as well as sitting at a desk. I don't remember at all how I got here or why I'm here. This place doesn't look familiar at all. I slowly got up from my desk and looked for the door. But before I caught sight of the door, I noticed that this entire classroom was bare as bare can be. There was nothing in this classroom, except for what appeared to be a phone on a desk behind me. I picked up the phone and turned it on. There was a message on phone that read "Once you are awake, please go to the gym at the end of the hallway immediately." Still utterly confused at my current situation, I focused back on the door and headed out of the classroom. As I stepped out into the hallway, I noticed I was at the end of it, so the gym I need to go to should be on the opposite side. I slowly started walking there starting to get a little scared.

I reached the end of the hallway in only a few minutes, there appeared to be a lot of classrooms in this hallway. Just where exactly am I? I saw the gym and headed inside.


	2. Chapter 2-More Introductions

As I walked into the gym, I saw what I didn't expect to see. Seventeen other kids my age were standing around the gym either talking to each other or looking around, nine guys and eight girls. They all turned to my direction as I walked into the gym. Anxiety started to kick in as I had seventeen pairs of eyes focusing on me.

"Uh... hi." I said pretty nervously. "Does anyone know what exactly is going on here and where we are?'

"Don't know about the former love, but I can answer the latter" replied one of the guys. "We're in Future Hope High School" as he pointed towards the wall.

"What?" I asked as I turned my head into the direction he was pointing in, but I found my answer as it read Future Hope High School on the wall.

"It appears we all woke up in a classroom with no idea how where in the hell we are at and found a phone that read to come to the gym" said one of the girls.

"Yeah that also happened to me too" I replied.

"So, what the hell are we suppose to do now?" asked another one of the guys as he crossed his arms. "Some shit is obviously going on here. Eighteen kids wake up out of nowhere in this high school with no idea how they got here and there doesn't seem to be any other students or any of the staff here."

"Good point man" replied another one of the guys. "No one else seems to be here and that is strange as shit."

"For now we should try to remain calm and how about we introduce ourselves to each other?" I suggested. Everyone turned to look at me again and I felt anxiety. "Whatever the reason why we're all here, we're probably gonna be with each other for awhile, so we might as well know each other a little bit.

"Good idea" replied the guy who showed me the letters on the wall.

"I agree with that" replied another girl.

"Fuck that stupid ass shit" said one of the guys. Everyone turned to face him as he leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets. "I don't know any of you people and you don't need to know anything about me."

"I'll go first" I said. Everyone turned to look at me again, but this time I ignored my anxiety. "My name is Annie Bless and I was invited to this school as I have been given the title as the ultimate therapist. I suffer some from anxiety, but helping people through my field is my life. If you ever need someone who will listen, you can always come to me and I'll always be here for you" I smiled at the group, to which most of them smiled back.

"Very nice love, very nice" the first guy to have spoken to me says. "Allow me to go next, my name is Gordon Jackson. I'm the ultimate filmmaker, surely some of you have heard of me."

"Nope, not at all" the guy who objected introductions answered. Gordon ignored him.

"Anyway, I won quite a bit of film festivals and like to think I'm pretty good at what I do, which is why I received my title. But yeah, this is indeed a really weird situation we're in and I'd like to get down to the bottom of it. Gordon finished his introduction and smiled at me, I smiled back.

"Bethany Howard is my name" said a girl who looked pretty muscular. My talent grants me the title of the ultimate punter.

"You play football?" asked Gordon. A few other guys laughed which earned an angry look from Bethany.

"Yes I do" she answered. "But my talent is punting. I started off as a soccer player which helped me learn my skills, but boys teased me for a long time and said I would never make it in a manly sport like football. Therefore, I focused of learning football and sharpening my skills as a punter. It was a long battle to let a girl play on football teams, but I proved them wrong and here I am. A girl can punt a football better than any guys" Bethany smiled happily.

"You go girl" said the girl who had agreed with my idea of introductions. "My name is Dianna Foxworth and I'm the ultimate volleyball player. My story is similar to Bethany's, boys mocked me and said I couldn't do sports. I spent my years playing volleyball and improving my skills which gave me my title. Not to brag or anything, but I'm pretty much set to play in the Olympics after graduating high school."

"Allow me to go next" one guy said. Please call me Troy Kind, I'm the ultimate signer.

"Signer?" I asked confused. "Like sign language?"

"Yes indeed Annie" replied Troy. "Let me tell you a story. My brother Oliver who I love more than anything else in this world became deaf after an accident when we were eight. It devastated me to think that it would be hard to talk to him after that, so of course I learned sign language with him and I just got it down pretty easily."

"I'll go next" said the guy who made the strange comment. "I'm Seth Brockman and I'm the ultimate eater."

"Of course you are" replied the guy who was still leaning against the wall.

"Fuck you too" Seth shot back. "Anyway I don't really got a sob story, just that I love to eat and I won every food eating contest I have ever entered. I'm always on TV during those contests, so I guess I'm kind of a celebrity already." I had a lot I wanted to ask Seth, but decided it might offend him so I didn't say anything.

"Mara Ford" said the next girl to introduce herself. She was the first woman who spoke when I came into the gym. "I'm the ultimate entrepreneur. I already own and run several businesses and after high school I'm gonna be the biggest business woman on this planet" she stated pretty cocky.

"Very impressive" said one of the guys. "Hey guys, I'm Harry Amsterdam and I'm the ultimate archer. Pretty simple for me guys, I always had a knack for shooting arrows and I've won a lot of tournaments and like Dianna, I'm set to compete in the olympics."

"Wow we certainly have a lot of talent in our little group" said Gordon.

"We sure do" replied Harry. "But yeah that about covers me, who wants to go next?"

"Zoe Strong" answered the next girl. "My title is ultimate fashion designer. All you need to know is I am the best at what I do and it took very little from me to be able to do it." She brushed her hair off to the side as she turned away from the group.

"This girl is kind of a bitch" I thought to myself.

"Nice to meet you Zoe" said a guy. "I'll go next. My name is Clay Adamson and I'm the ultimate trivia master. Go ahead and ask me some questions."

"Who directed Psycho?" asked Gordon.

"Alfred Hitchcock."

"What year was volleyball added to the Olympics?" asked Dianna.

"1964."

"What is another name for sign language?" asked Troy.

"Signed Languages."

"Congrats, you know a bunch of useless information that won't get you anywhere in life" said Zoe.

"Actually my knowledge of trivia has won me a lot of money in contests" Clay shot back. "And my dream is to host my own trivia game show one day."

"Thats cool and all man, but check out my bio" stated the guy who made several comments about our situation. "Ultimate Track and Field Star Bradford Evans is in the house, check it! I've always been an awesome and cool guy, but once I started running around the track and throwing stuff in the field, people really saw how amazing I am! Of course I'm an all star at my sport, only problem is what events do I compete in when I reach the Olympics? I'm a pro in every event." Bradford raised his arms up to flex.

"No one gives a shit" the leaning guy replied. Bradford got angry.

"What did you say?"

"Break it up boys and try not to waste any time" a girl stated. Anyway I'm Leah Daniels and I'm the ultimate rider. I love horses and I love to ride them. It appears to be pretty common that we all win contests in our field and have plans to be bigger after high school in them, but that is also the case for me."

"Allow me to add some new stuff to this party then" said another girl. I'm Grace Stonewell and I'm the ultimate event planner. I can throw a pretty good anything from corporate events to just a nice party, I really know how to make it a good time for everyone" Grace smiled at her last words.

"Maxwell Krueger" said the next guy to go. "I'm the ultimate fisher. I catch fish as well as I catch me some ladies." Maxwell smiled creepily at Dianna and Grace, who both looked away uncomfortably.

"Don't be weird dude" said another girl. "Also I'm Shauna Zachary and I'm the ultimate chess champion. I pretty much been a chess prodigy since I was five. I never lost a game in my life."

"Your bio is pretty boring" Bradford stated rudely.

"Fuck off" Shauna shot back.

"Cut it out people" said another girl. "Listen up here, I'm Laurel Stern. But I'm sure most of you would know me better as Miss Stern."

"You're Miss Stern?!" a surprised Clay asked. "Then you gotta be the ultimate radio personality!"

"Correct you are Clay, my station is pretty big and I'm the biggest voice you will hear on the radio. Keep it real you guys" Laurel said as she gave us a piece sign. No one else talked for a bit more.

"If I'm correct we just need to hear from you two guys" I said as I pointed to the leaning guy and guy who appeared to be pretty shy. The shy guy looked around a bit.

"My name is Barry Wolf" he said. "I'm the ultimate engineer. That should be enough for you" Barry turned away from the group.

"What kind of introduction was that?" asked Seth.

"It will do" answered Gordon. He then turned to the guy still leaning on the wall. "Alright pal, you're up last."

"Fuck off bastard" he responded. "I already told you bitches I wasn't telling you shit."

"What was that?!" asked Bradford, Mara, Zoe, and Bethany angrily.

"Please" I pleaded to him. "We're all in this together." The guy looked at me a bit before shrugging.

"Fine, if it will get all you off my damn back." My name is Den Fire."

"I'm sorry your last name is Fire?" asked Harry.

"Fuck off Arrowhead, that is what I said right!?" exclaimed an angry Den.

"Please calm down Den" said Dianna. "What is your talent?"

"Pyro" Den replied. "Ultimate Pyro."

"Pyro?" asked Maxwell. "As in you set stuff on fire?"

"Yeah that is what I fucking do" answered Den. "I been burning shit forever and have been in and out of juvie for it, but even when I'm out I manage to get my hands on some more burning toys."

"Sounds like to me you're just a criminal" stated Mara.

"Shut up bitch! Nobody asked what you fucking think!" exclaimed an angry Den.

"Everyone, please try to avoid fighting with each other" said Leah. "Now that introductions are done, we need to work together to get out of here."

"You're right" said Gordon. "We need to get to the bottom of this."

"But where to begin?" I asked. It was nice to meet everyone and learn about their pasts and talents. But Leah and Gordon were right. We need to find out what happened here.


	3. Chapter 3-The Rules

After briefly introducing ourselves, my new friends and I needed to figure out just exactly what happened and why we're exactly in our new high school like this.

"All we know so far is that we all woke up in a classroom at this school with no idea how we got here" stated Gordon. "We all found a phones that told us to come to the gym right away."

"Speaking of these phones" replied Shauna. "Right now we can't seem to access anything on them."

"You're right" agreed Leah. "It only has that message on the screen."

"Same for mind" replied Bradford.

"Also where the hell are any of the staff?" asked Harry. "For sure there is something shady going around if this school has only eighteen students and no staff."

"Fuck the staff" stated Den.

We all turned to look at him.

"Staff are annoying as hell."

"That isn't the issue right now Den" I said. "Finding a staff would certainly help us."

"Shut it bitch" Den shot back.

"What did you say?!" Gordon asked angrily.

Harry, Clay, and Gordon all started walking towards Den looking very angry.

"Hey man, you need to calm down" stated Clay.

"And watch the way you speak to a lady" said Harry.

"Fuck off you assholes!" an angered Den shot back. "Try telling me what to do again and see what happens!"

"You are way out of line Den!" exclaimed Gordon. "You better chill out before..

"Before you what camera bitch!?" asked Den who started walking angrily towards the Gordon.

"ENOUGH!" shouted Bethany.

We all turned to look at her.

"Look guys, we're all in this situation and we're all nervous here. But we can't be fighting each other. We need to put our heads together."

"I agree with you girl" stated a smiling Dianna.

"You're right!" exclaimed Laurel.

"Great, but what do we even do now?" asked Seth.

"I'LL TELL YOU!" screamed an unknown voice.

We all turned in the direction of the voice to see a bat like humanoid robot thing come flying down towards us. It was average height with a bat like face and wings, but clearly a machine of some sort. Whatever it was, it certainly scared me and a few others.

"Aaahhh!" shouted Grace

"What in the hell?" asked Dianna.

"The hell is this toy?" asked Zoe.

"Quiet down people and listen up" the bat robot stated. "First up, I am not a toy!" I am your principal in charge of this school and all of you, Bat Wing!"

"Wow, that sure is quite the original name" replied Clay.

"What was that Trivia Boy!?" exclaimed Bat Wing.

"Nothing!" answered Clay.

"It had better be nothing! Anyway, listen up here people!"

Most of us appeared to be scared, my anxiety was going crazy. But we all listened to what Bat Wing had to say.

"First up, how you got here and where the rest of the school is is no business of yours. Next up the reason your here right now is compete in a game."

"What fucking game?" asked an angry Den.

"Why a killing game of course!"

Those words startled most of us. Den balled his fists up like he was ready to fight Bat Wing, while both Shauna and Grace looked ready to start crying. Barry looked away uneasily, while Mara frowned at Bat Wing.

"What the hell do you mean killing game?" asked Maxwell.

"Let me explain the rules" replied Bat Wing. "You eighteen ultimates will live in this school and go about daily life until someone kills one of your classmates. When that happens you will investigate the murder and then discuss the case in a class trial. After enough discussing, you will vote for who you think the killer is. If you guess correctly, the killer will be executed and the remaining students will go back to daily life. However, if you vote for the wrong person...

Bat Wing stopped mid sentence and smiled weirdly at us.

"What happens if we vote for the wrong person?" asked Troy.

"Then everyone besides the killer will be executed and that killer will be able to escape from this school."

"What!?" shouted Bethany.

"All I have to do to get out of this hellhole is to kill one of these bastards and then make sure they don't know it was me?" asked Den.

"Den!" I exclaimed.

"That isn't funny man." Clay stated suspiciously.

"But if those are the rules Bat Wing stated, then he must be right." replied Zoe.

"Zoe! Not you too!" stated Leah.

"Hahaha!" laughed Bat Wing. "Oh man, it looks like we already got a couple possible volunteers for first murder! But as I was saying, yes those are the rules for this game. As for the building itself, you have full access to the entire school which I will allow you to explore after I'm finished. You will all have your own rooms to sleep in with all the necessitates. There is a kitchen for eating with enough food to last forever. Plenty of places here for entertainment and possible murders. And at last there will be the courtroom for class trials, but you can only go in there after someone dies for the trial. I think that about wraps it up, any questions?"

Everyone except Barry and Den raised their hands.

"No? Good" stated Bat Wing. "Enjoy your time at Future High School!"

With that, he flew up into the air and disappeared. We all looked around at each other nervously and scared.

"Well that was just fucking creepy" said Bradford.

"Understatement of the year man" stated Maxwell.

"Can we all agree not to give in to this bat bot and just focus on looking for a way out of this school?" asked Leah.

"I agree with that" I replied.

"For sure" stated Gordon.

"Don't be idiots" Zoe said out of nowhere.

We all turned to Zoe who was looking super serious.

"If you really think you can trust seventeen people who you never met before in this kind of situation, you truly are stupid."

"I hate to agree with her, but she is right" stated Mara. "While she is someone who I would certainly suspect, along with quite a few others, Zoe is right that it is stupid to just except no one would kill."

"Who else would you suspect?" asked a nervous Troy.

"Well Mara, Zoe, and Maxwell are certainly suspicious for obviously reasons" answered Seth. "And don't forget about Den who is an actual criminal.

"Fuck off Fatass!" shouted Den. "If anything the first killer would be that engineering nerd! He looks like a fucking school shooter!"

Barry turned away looking extremely uncomfortable. Dianna glared at Den.

"Back off Den! Leave Barry alone!"

"Please!" I shouted. Everyone turned to look at me. "Leah is right! We can't play this game! We need to work together to escape here, so one gets hurt!"

"I agree with you love one hundred percent" replied Gordon. "Come on guys, we need to check out this school and hopefully find a way out."

I know we're all scared here, no one of us know anything really. But we all have to be strong. We all have to be brave. We can't play this killing game.


	4. Chapter 4-Looking for an Escape

After our crazy and scary encounter with Bat Wing and learning a little bit about our situation, we decided to start looking all over the school for a way out. Nearly everyone seemed scared to search by themselves, so we all partnered up, except for Den who just went off by himself. Gordon asked to be my partner and I agreed instantly. We all split up and agreed to meet back in the gym in an hour. Gordon and I stayed on our current floor to check out the classrooms and anything else we may be able to find. Gordon and I searched classroom after classroom without finding anything useful.

"Man we may of just wasted our time" stated Gordon.

'What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean I suppose it didn't hurt, but if we all woke up in one of these classrooms... Surely we would of noticed something before coming to the gym."

"Yeah, maybe" I replied. I pulled the phone I found out of my pocket and checked the screen, sure enough it still read the same message. "I wonder if we're suppose to hold onto these phones?"

"Yeah good point Annie" answered Gordon. He pulled his phone out of his pocket as well. "Where these phones just a way to get us to the gym or do they have more meaning?"

"Attention students!" shouted the voice of Bat Wing through the intercoms. "I have a couple of announcements since the writer forgot to have me mention stuff in the last chapter!" First off, I'm sure by now you must of noticed any possessions you normally carry on you have been confiscated. Don't worry about them, I have them. And finally, the phones you received before coming to the gym, hold onto those! They keep track of the rules for this killing game as well as a map of the school! And of course, well you'll see the rest when the time comes! Thank you students and I will allow you to access what you can on you phones now!" The intercoms clicked off.

"What the hell was all that?" asked Gordon. "What did he mean by writer and last chapter?"

"Good questions" I answered. "But probably nothing important, but he did answer our questions about our phones." I looked at my phone again and the message was gone. It a few apps on it that I could access which included the rules, a map of the school, and my information."

"Right you are there love" replied Gordon who was also looking at his phone, he then turned to me. "Let's search the remaining classrooms."

"You got it" I said smiling which he returned.

Gordon and I searched the remaining classrooms and as we thought we didn't find anything. On the bright side however, we enjoyed many nice conversations and started to grow close. I think I really like Gordon, he sure is a great guy. With only a little bit of time left before meeting back up with the others in the gym, we decided to just sit and talk. We both sat down in desks in the final classroom.

"So Annie, is Future Hope High what you expected?" asked Gordon.

"What?" I replied confused.

"Were you expecting to be kidnapped by a robot bat and trapped in the school with your classmates forced into some crazy killing game" Gordon answered smiling.

I smiled back at him."No, not really what I had in mind. I just thought I would come to this school to really start my therapist career and hopefully learn a bit more."

"You really do like helping people Annie" Gordon said. "I can really see that in you."

"You can?" I replied.

"For sure, well if it was a contest with Den, you would win for sure."

I laughed at that. "I mean, I don't like to be on a high horse, but I'm sure I'm a better therapist than Den."

That made Gordon laugh, which made me smile even more. "So Gordon, are you in the middle of making any big movies right now?

That question got Gordon thinking for a bit. "Honestly love, with all that has been going on, I really can't recall. I don't even know what I was doing yesterday."

"Yeah me either" I replied. "Who knows how many days we have been missing since getting abducted?"

"Good question love" Gordon said getting up. "We should get back to the gym."

"Okay" I said getting up.

Gordon and I headed back to the gym to meet up with our fellow "students" Shockingly, even Den showed back up with him being the last one to arrive. He walked into the gym and headed to the wall nearby us and leaned against it with his hands in his pockets. Nearly everyone else looked at him.

"Who would of thought you would actually show up?" asked Maxwell

"Fuck off Fishing pole, I'm just here to see if any of you found something that might be useful to me. Once I hear it, I'm out" replied Den.

"Did you even do any investigating?" asked Clay

"Fuck off Question Boy."

"Enough!" exclaimed Zoe. "Cease this petty bickering and let us focus on anything we may of found, now someone start talking."

"Annie and I checked all the classrooms on this floor" replied Gordon. "But we didn't find anything at all, so I'm afraid we have nothing to offer."

"Leah and I also stayed out this floor" replied Shauna. "We tried to find the main entrance, which we did. However, some kind of steel was covered all around the door. Unless we can figure out a way to get by it, we truly might just be trapped in here."

"We'll have to take a crack of that" stated Harry. "Anyway, Clay and I found the cafeteria. It appeared functional with a whole lot of food in the back of it?"

"Define a whole lot cause with eighteen people, we're gonna run out in no time" replied Bradford.

"Actually, Bat Wing showed up and told us food will be restocked each day so there will always be enough food for us, as he stated in the last chapter that we have enough food forever."

"What did he mean by last chapter?" asked Grace. "But more importantly, just where will all this food to feed us come from?"

"Probably just a plot hole in this story" answered Harry "But yeah, that's what we found."

Grace seemed confused and was about to question what Harry just said, but then she changed her direction. "I went with Laurel and we found all our dorm rooms on the fourth. "We all have our own room which are marked, but you need your phone to scan the lock to open them."

"How did your rooms look?" I asked.

"Not bad honestly" answered Grace. "They all appear to have nice beds, lighting, floor, and a nice shower and bathroom. However, the windows in our rooms are also covered in steel, which I assume is the same steel on the door to the main entrance."

"Now that you mention it Grace, it seems all the windows in this school have steel coverage on them" replied Gordon. "We all been here for like two hours and none of us noticed?"

"The writer probably forgot to mention the fact that we noticed the windows" answered Harry.

"Easy buddy" replied Clay. "I think this chapter has had enough fourth wall breaks."

"Would you shut up with that stupid shit?" an annoyed Mara stated. "Anyway Zoe and I found several storage rooms on the upper floors. There was quite the variety of stuff there, we might be able to use any number of it in the future to try to make an escape."

"I like the sound of that" stated Dianna. "Bethany and I found the library on the third floor to be quite interesting. We didn't find anything yet, but we might be able to find some knowledge in there that could help us with all those books."

"Sounds good to me" replied Troy. "My partner was Barry and we checked all over the upper floors and found quite a bit of rooms for entertainment such as a lounge, game room, and of course the pool. But I guess nothing that can help us out."

"Nice job nerds" stated Bradford. "I went with those fools Maxwell and Seth to look around."

"HEY!" shouted Maxwell and Seth.

"We found a laundry room on the third floor, but besides having a way to do laundry, that isn't really gonna help us. Also we found a small courtyard on the first floor, we'll be able to get some fresh air, but still guaranteed way out of this hellhole."

"Wow, so after all this time searching you people still haven't found a way to escape or at least anything useful? asked an annoyed Den.

"Hey back off Pyro Boy, you didn't do a damn thing this past hour!" Maxwell yelled back.

Den got angry and started walking towards Maxwell "Why you..."

"STOP!" Grace shouted. Everyone turned to look at her. "Stop fighting please!" Also there is something Laurel and I found up in our rooms that we forgot to mention and you guys will want to hear.

"What is it?' asked Mara.

Grace looked a little scared. "Both Laurel and I found our clothes in the closest and drawers in our rooms. And I mean hung and placed normally there, a whole bunch of our clothes. And I bet for the rest of you, your rooms hold the same."

That thought got everyone, including Den to start worrying.

"Guys" said Grace. "Just what is going on here? Why are we here? Who is Bat Wing? Just what happened to this school? And why are our clothes here?"

All good questions that nobody had answers for and those thoughts really scared us.


	5. Chapter 5-A Night and First Daily Life

After our first look around the school, we decided to call it a night as it grew late and we were all tired and nervous from today. We all headed up to our rooms to sleep. As instructed by Grace, we had to scan our phones to get into our rooms. I did just that and headed into my room. Grace was also right about the rooms being pretty nice. I sat down on my bed for a bit, but then headed over to my drawers. I was shocked as I opened them to see my they contained my pants, socks, and panties. I then headed over to my closet and sure enough my shirts and jackets were all in there.

"What the hell is going on here?" I asked out loud anxiously.

I quickly changed into my nightgown and and got into my bed. But I knew it would take awhile for me to fall asleep.

"Please" I said out loud. "Someone come and save us soon."

I woke up still a bit tired the next morning to knocking on my door. I slowly got out of bed to answer the door. It was Gordon.

"Good morning love." Gordon said smiling.

"Good morning Gordon" I replied returning the smile.

"Hopefully I'm not waking you up too early, but it is 8:00am and I was hoping we would all gather in the cafeteria for breakfast and to discuss our next step."

"No problem at all Gordon" I replied. "Let me just change and we'll head on down right away. Is everyone else already there?"

"Yeah I believe so."

"Okay, just give me a few seconds."

I closed my door and quickly changed into a new pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I grabbed my phone after putting on my shoes and left my room to walk with Gordon down to the cafeteria for breakfast. We had a nice chat on the way down, Gordon truly is a nice guy to talk to. I hope he and I can be friends after we get out of here. As Gordon and I walked into the cafeteria, I saw everyone else was already there. With the exception of Den, Zoe, Mara, and Barry, everyone was sitting next to each other eating. I also saw a whole lot of food on nearby tables. Everyone sitting next to each other turned once Gordon and I grew near.

"Good morning Annie" said Laurel.

"Good morning everyone" I said replied smiling.

"You too seem to have gotten close" Maxwell said out of nowhere. "I wonder what you too did last night in one of your rooms?"

Leah reached over the table to slap Maxwell across the face.

"Don't be a pervert you creep" she said sternly.

"Really man, that isn't cool" Gordon said somewhat angry.

Maxwell said mumbled before going back to eating.

"Why aren't those four eating with you guys?" I asked pointing to Barry, Zoe, Mara, and Den.

"Well those two bitches are quite the snobs, while that Barry guy is just super shy" answered Bradford. "And of course Mr. Den Fire isn't exactly socializer of the year."

"We really should all be eating together" Bethany stated. "We don't know how long we're gonna be here for, we're all in this together."

"I'd be careful around those four" Seth stated. "They might just be planning on killing someone, which is why they need want to be alone."

"Don't even joke about that Seth" Laurel said angrily. "That kind of talk will kill the good vibe and we shouldn't even think about any of that."

"I'm just saying" Seth shot back. "We're all still strangers and we all heard what Bat Wing said. If we want out, we have to kill someone."

"Shut up" Leah demanded sternly. "Cut that stuff out, just enjoy this wonderful food that Grace prepared and be ready to look around this school again soon for a way out."

"Grace made all this food?" I asked surprised.

"Indeed she did" Gordon answered.

"It was no problem at all guys" replied Grace. "As the ultimate event planner, I always make sure my guests have a good time and eating good food is a huge part and making sure you have a good time."

"Well thank you very much Grace" I said as Gordon and I helped ourselves to some food.

We both sat down near our new friends and we all enjoyed a good breakfast together. After about forty minutes, we finished up eating and Grace started to clear the dishes.

"Wait a minute Grace" Leah said. "You made us all this wonderful food, the rest of us will do the dishes."

"I agree with that" I said agreeing.

At those words, Bradford, Maxwell, and Seth booked it out of the cafeteria. The four people who didn't sit with us also had left before we even finished eating.

"What a bunch of moochers" Laurel said quite annoyed.

"Forget those guys, the rest of us will help out" Gordon said smiling.

I don't know why yet, but Gordon's smile can always bring a happy mood to any negative room. The rest of us stayed behind in the cafeteria to do the dishes and of course thanked Grace again for the wonderful breakfast.

"Should we resume searching guys?" I asked.

"I'm sorry love, but I really didn't sleep well last night and I wouldn't to be up in time for us all to eat breakfast" Gordon answered. "I think for now I'm just gonna head back to my room for a bit."

"I was up really early preparing breakfast, so I'm still quite tired as well" Grace said agreeing. "I think I need a nap as well."

"We do have the rest of the day for searching again, might as well take it easy before all that" Bethany stated.

We all agreed to to just take it easy for a bit before searching the school again. We all went off to do our own thing. I really wanted to spend some more time with Gordon, but he headed back to his room to rest up. I was a bit down, but maybe I could spend some time with my other new friends and get to know them better. Despite my anxiety, I did want to know everyone here better. I stayed in the cafeteria once everyone left, except for Troy who sat back down at a table and did what I assumed was sign language. I walked over and sat down next to him as he turned to face me.

"Hello Troy" I said smiling.

"Hello Annie" he replied slowly returning my smile.

"Are you practicing your sign language?" I asked.

"Indeed I am" he responded.

"How often does the ultimate signer practice?"

"Quite a bit actually, I may have that title, but I always see if I can get better by improving my skills. Anyway, why did you decide to talk to me?"

I got a bit anxious. "I just wanted to get to know everyone here better, after all like many people here has been saying, we're all in this together."

"I see, I see" Troy replied. "Also, now that we hit the daily life part of this story, I feel the writer decided to have people like me who had an introduction in the second chapter where you couldn't get much character development or personality from be the first people that you the protagonist talks to first."

I was utterly confused at everything he just said. "What?"

Troy ignored everything just said. "But yes, I do enjoy practicing sign language, mainly as it allows me to communicate to my deaf brother Oliver."

"You two must be very close."

"Indeed we are" Troy replied. "Hey I'm sorry Annie, I don't wanna be rude cause I enjoy talking with you, but I would like to focus on my sign language."

"Not a problem at all Troy, thanks for talking with me and hopefully we can do it again soon."

Troy smiled at me and then shifted all of his attention to his sign language. I got up and headed out of the cafeteria. Troy is a really nice guy and his story behind his talent is sad but also beautiful. But still, something about Troy seems just a little off, but I ignored it in favor of him being a nice and dedicated guy. I decided to check out the main entrance, so I headed over there. Shauna was there starring at the door. She turned in my direction when I approached.

"Hello Shauna" I said.

"Hello Annie" she replied.

"Did you also come to check out the steel covering the door?"

"Yeah, I just still can't believe this is happening. What kind of school traps their students in it with steel covered doors?"

"Good question there Shauna, one that hopefully we will have an answer to."

"I'm honestly scared right now Annie, are you scared as well?"

"Of course I am" I replied. "My anxiety has been through the roof since my first time walking into the gym. There is still so much we don't know and there is the fact we got a robotic bat watching over us expecting us to kill."

"I think that might just scare me the most, the whole premise of the killing game" Shauna replied.

"Yeah I know what you mean."

"People may not see it, but I had to do a lot of thinking in my time to earn my title as the ultimate chess champion. I'm use to to quick thinking and overcoming any opponent in a game of chess. But in this type of situation, I just don't know what to think and it scares me."

"Don't blame yourself there Shauna, none of our talents are suited for this kind of situation. None of us were ready for this."

"Yeah I guess you're right" Shauna replied smiling. "Thanks Annie, I'm gonna go rest up for a while now. I'll talk to you later."

I waved to her as walked off, Shauna is a real sweet girl. She may be scared, but I just hope she remembers how smart she is. Not just anyone can be the ultimate chess champion. I starred at the steel covered door a bit longer, before walking off. I didn't know where I might end up though. As I walk walking near the gym, I ran into Bethany.

"Hello Bethany" I greeted smiling.

Bethany returned the smile. "Greetings Annie."

"Where you headed into the gym to run or something?" I asked.

"Right you are Annie, even in a situation like this I need to stay fit."

"Well you are the ultimate punter, I can see it took a lot of training and hard work to get you to where you are."

"Right you are again, I have trained nearly every day since being teased about not being able to make it in football."

"Man, just how empty minded are some guys? Even in today's world, sexist views still exist."

"I certainly agree with you there Annie, but thankfully through training and hard work, certain female athletes like Dianna and I have proved those views wrong."

"Glad to hear it."

"Would you like to join me for a run?" asked Bethany

"Thank you for the offer, but exercise really isn't my thing, even though it should be a thing for me. But maybe another time?"

"Indeed" Bethany said smiling. "I will see you around." She headed into the gym to start her run.

I smiled as I started walking again. Bethany is a really cool person, makes me glad that a girl like her is here in this kind of situation. As I kept walking, I hoped to talk to more people. As long as we stay close and don't give in to Bat Wing, we can all escape here together is what I was thinking, but man was I wrong.


	6. Chapter 6-More Chats and First Motive

After my chat with Bethany, I headed up to the upper floors to check out more of the school. My first stop up there was the library. I walked into the library and man was it big. There was just so many books. I also spotted Zoe in the library, sitting in a chair reading a book. She does seem to be quite the bitch, so I should of just walked away, but I wanted to be friendly with everyone here. I walked over to her, she turned up in my direction and frowned.

"Hi Zoe" I said smiling.

"What do you want from me?" she replied annoyed.

Her tone made my smile go away. "Just wanted to talk."

"I don't have the time or cares to talk to someone like you."

That hurt a little. "What do you mean someone like me?"

"Listen Annie, you may be an ultimate in your field and that may work for you. But you don't have the right attitude or fight in you to truly succeed and be the best."

"What?" I responded confused.

"That is how I got to be the ultimate fashion designer, by being the best. I made sure that my designs were better than any of my competitors', that my models always did their best to fully show off the fire my designs had. You just listen to people complain and tell them how to feel better, there is no way you got any fight in you."

"You're wrong..." I tried to say.

"Quiet now, I'm done talking to you. Be gone" Zoe interrupted.

I quickly turned around and walked out of the library. Yeah I was right, Zoe is just a bitch. But whatever, why would I ever want someone like her as my friend? I kept on walking until I found the lounge. I checked inside and sure enough it was pretty nice. I saw Seth in the lounge sitting in a chair eating a bag of chips and drinking from a two liter soda. He looked up when I walked in.

"Hey there Seth."

"Hey" he replied before grabbing a handful of chips."

I then remembered how Seth was one of the people who skipped out on doing dishes and got a little angry.

"Hey Seth, that was very rude of you to leave after eating and not doing your part in washing the dishes."

"Trust me Annie, I'm the ultimate eater for a reason and not the ultimate dish washer."

"What do mean?" I asked confused.

"I eat the food, I don't clean the dishes that served the food."

He just kept making me more annoyed. "Regardless of what you do for your talent stuff, that was still rude what you did, Grace worked really hard making us all breakfast and you couldn't even wash a little bit of dishes?"

"Nope."

"Aaaagggghhhh!" I moaned before heading out of the lounge. Seth just continued to help himself to his snack. I suppose he isn't as bad as Zoe, but he is a bit rude. But I suppose I shouldn't expect a multi food eating contest winner to not clean up after himself. I kept walking until I found the pool. I saw from outside Gordon was going for a swim and boy did he look cute only in his swim trunks. I immediately walked in to chat with him.

"Hey Gordon!" I called.

Gordon turned around to face me and smiled. "Hello Annie, care to join me for a nice swim?"

"No thanks, but maybe later. But hey, we should chat for a bit before getting back to searching for a way out." 

"Sounds good to me. What do you want to talk about?"

"What got you into making movies?"

"Pretty easy, I was just always interested in movies as child and wanted to make them when I could. I got my first camera when I was really young and overtime my skills just developed into me being the ultimate filmmaker."

"That is so cool.." I started on, but then we were interrupted.

"Attention students!" shouted Bat Wing over the intercoms. "Assembly in the gym in twenty minutes! Yes this assembly is mandatory! Shut up!" The intercoms clicked off.

"Damn" said Gordon. "Guess we gotta cut our talk short." He quickly got out of the pool and headed over to his clothes and towel on a nearby chair.

"I guess so" I replied kind of down. I turned around so Gordon could quickly dry off and change, after that we headed back down to the gym without saying much as we both appeared to be a bit nervous. We arrived to the gym before most of the others were there. Bat Wing was there before us as well waiting for all eighteen of us to arrive. Once we all did, we all shifted our full attention to Bat Wing.

"Whats this all about Bat Wing?" asked Zoe.

"Yeah what do you want?" asked Harry.

"Hey hey, settle down people" answered Bat Wing. "I summoned you all here for an important announcement."

"What would that be?" asked Mara.

"Well here is the deal" replied Bat Wing. "I know it has only been a little bit of time since the killing game began, but I'm so freaking bored waiting for someone to make the first kill! Which is why, I have decided to throw in your first motive."

"What do you mean our first motive?" asked Laurel.

"Why your first motive to kill!" answered Bat Wing sinisterly.

Those words got most of us shaken up for sure and I'm pretty sure Shauna was close to tears.

"Don't worry about it too much gang, your first motive isn't gonna be anything too big, but here is the deal for your first motive." "Just think about it people, you all spent a lot of time searching for a way out yesterday. Did you find a way out? No, Did you find anything you can use against me? No. Is there any hope for you guys? No."

"Why you.." started Den who was starting to get angry.

"You can spend as much time as you want looking for a way out, but I promise you there isn't none. It is like what I said before, you are all stuck in this school with the only way out being to kill someone and deceive the rest in the class trial."

"You bastard!" shouted Gordon.

"Think about it people, just how long do you think you can stay here before the desire to kill starts to take over you? How long will you have before you just can't take being here anymore? How long before you would do anything to go home?"

"Stop it!" shouted a now crying Shauna.

"I'm only speaking the truth" replied Bat Wing. "You're options are just staying here forever or killing someone so you can leave." But if you're gonna kill someone, you better do it before someone else does."

"Why is that?" asked Seth.

"Remember what I first said fat boy? Once the first murder happens, you will all do a class trial to try and find the killer. But if you fail to vote for the right person, everyone except the killer will be executed!"

That got everyone shaking, crying, or looking nervous.

"That should be it for students, but just remember what I just said" replied Bat Wing. "You're only way out of Future Hope High School is to kill someone, otherwise you will never see any of you loved ones again! Take care everyone!"

Bat Wing then flew up to the ceiling, leaving us all very disturbed. Grace, Laurel, and Shauna were all crying now with Harry and Gordon doing their best to comfort them. That shy guy Barry was simply holding himself and shaking a bit, while also looking a bit close to tears. Troy was sitting down on the ground moving his hands around and appeared to be deep though. Even Den was looking pretty freaked out. As for me, my anxiety was through the roof and I just ran from the gym. Some of the others called for me, but I just ignored them and kept running until I got to my room. I unlocked my door and then quickly ran into my room. I shut my door and jumped on my bed and hugged my pillow.

"Will we ever get out of here?" I asked myself out loud while starting to cry.


	7. Chapter 7-The First Murder

I must of dozed off for at least a few hours, I woke up to several knocks on my door. I slowly wiped away any remaining tear stains from my face and answered the door. It was Gordon.

"Hey Annie, how are you feeling?"

"Hey Gordon, a little better I guess thanks."

"That's good" he replied. "After listening to Bat Wing, it really freaked out most of us. We spent the last few hours investigating the school for a way out or anything that might be able to help us. But we didn't find much more than last time."

"I see" I said. I felt bad that everyone was working hard trying to find a way out while I was crying in my room. "Looks like I haven't been much help."

"Don't worry about it" Gordon replied firmly. "We're all freaked out here and not in the best state of mind, don't feel that way at all."

I smiled. "Thanks Gordon."

"No problem" he replied. "Anyway, I came to get you cause we're having a meeting in the game room to discuss some things."

"Okay, let's go" I said quickly.

Gordon and I quickly left my room and headed over to the game room. The rest of our friends were already there. Some were trying to relax and play games, while others were just sitting around and looking pretty nervous. My anxiety was back.

"Okay people" said Gordon as we walked into the game room. Everyone turned in our direction. "I brought Annie, so let us get started."

"Did you have a fun time sobbing in your room while the rest of us actually did?" asked Mara coldly.

"Hey back off" Bethany said firmly. "We're all scared here, it is not surprise some of us react a little differently."

"Hey I'm not scared." stated Bradford.

"Cut it out people" said Gordon firmly. "We need to start."

"Agreed" replied Zoe. "Stop with the games and let us get serious."

Troy, Harry, and Clay left the pool table to come more near the group, while Bethany, Dianna, Shauna, and Leah left the dart boards to be more near. Den, Barry, and Mara who were more by themselves also joined the group."

"Once again, we searched all over this school again looking for a way out. But once again, it looks like we're still trapped here."

"That giant ass library has got to have something we can use in there" stated Clay. "Also we can use many of the things in the storage rooms as weapons to fight Bat Wing."

"I agree with that" said Harry. "If we can't find a way out, we might have to fight Bat Wing in order to escape."

"I got no problem destroying his fucking head" Den said pounding his fists together.

"Wait a minute guys" stated Shauna nervously. "Are we sure we wanna do that? For one, we have no guarantee we will find Bat Wing at the right time. Also would we be able to fight him?

"I have to agree with Shauna" Dianna said agreeing. "He may kill any number of us for trying to fight him. We can't take that risk."

"But what else can we do?" asked Bradford. "Sure we can always keep looking, but we aren't gonna find a way out, we'll just be wasting our time. We have to try something besides just living in this hellhole."

"No one said to just give up and live here forever Bradford" Gordon stated firmly. "We are gonna think of something, but nothing dangerous."

"Well if you're too scared to fight, you better think fast." Den said out of nowhere. "Remember the rules of this killing game and the last time Bat Wing talked to us. We don't know who here among us has already reached their limits and cracked down under the pressure."

That got most of us looking worried and looking around among ourselves.

"Stop it" I said firmly. "We can't think like that, we have to remain calm.

"Think what you want, but at this point we're running out of options here" Den replied as he started to walk away. "I'm out of here."

"I will take my lead as well" Zoe stated. "It seems I am trapped here with people who don't know what they're doing."

Den and Zoe left the game room and the rest of us just stood around in silence. A few moments later we realized the night had started to grown late, so most of us decided to call it a night and return to our rooms, though a few people decided to stick around and play some more games. Troy got Clay and Harry to continue their round of pool, while Bethany, Dianna, Shauna, and Leah continued playing darts. I decided of course to head back to my room.

"Hey Annie" Gordon called towards me as I started to leave.

I turned to him "Yes Gordon?"

"Let me walk you back" he responded smiling.

I returned the smile "I would like that."

Gordon and I walked back towards the rooms, enjoy several more nice chats. When we got to hallway with our rooms, Gordon started to say goodbye, but I had other ideas.

"Hey Gordon" I started. "Do you wanna stay with me tonight?"

"Huh?" he asked a little confused.

"Well, I'm still pretty scared from today and that meeting didn't really help out at all. And you always make me feel better, so I think I would sleep well if you were there with me tonight."

Gordon looked around the hallway, besides Maxwell being creepy and starring at us from his room before quickly shutting the door. Gordon then turned back to me.

"I would love to."

Gordon quickly went back to his room and got changed for the night, while I went and did the same. I then let him into my room and we hopped into bed together. We both wanted to sleep, but we kept on chatting late into the night. We didn't fall asleep till past 3:30 in the morning. For the first time since being stuck in this crazy school, I felt safe. Gordon and I both woke up a little after ten in the morning. We slowly got up smiling at each other. Gordon left to go change in his room, while I did the same in mine. I then quickly left my room to meet back up with Gordon and we headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. I think I might just like Gordon. We arrived in the cafeteria where only Grace, Dianna, and Troy remained.

"Hey guys" called Gordon.

"Good morning Annie and Gordon" Bethany replied smiling. "Don't worry, you're not too late to still catch some plates of my food."

"Good to know" I replied as Gordon and I got some food and sat down with our friends.

"The rest of our friends have already came in, ate, and left." Dianna said. "It is a bit late into the morning."

"I see, looks like Gordon and I slept in" I said smiling at Gordon who returned the smile.

"It is such a shame though we didn't really accomplish anything at our meeting last night" Troy said sadly. "We really do need to get out of here."

"Don't worry Troy, I'm sure we will soon enough" Grace replied, but with little confidence.

The five of us continued to eat a little big longer before we heard the intercoms click on.

"Attention students!' shouted Bat Wing. "Everyone report to the game room immediately!" The intercoms clicked off.

I looked at my friends nervously, who all looked equally nervous.

"I wonder what he wants with us now?" asked Grace.

"I guess we'll find out soon" Gordon answered getting up. "Let's go."

We got got all and started walking at a somewhat fast pace to the game room. Gordon stayed with me the entire walk. We all arrived at the game room in what seemed like little time, we headed in. It appeared that everyone else was already there. But they all looked shocked and scared.

"What happened?" I asked.

Suddenly, Grace screamed. I looked in her direction and then nothing but horrid thoughts filled my body. Over by the pool table lay the dead body of Shauna Zachary, the ultimate chess champion. Quite bloody it was as well.


	8. Chapter 8-First Investigation

My anxiety was the highest it has ever been since being trapped in this school, maybe the most high it has ever been. I just couldn't believe my eyes. Shauna lay dead right there in the game room. We were all still freaking out.

"No fucking way!" exclaimed Seth.

"Who did this?!" Laurel asked sobbing. Grace tried to comfort her, but was also in the process of sobbing too.

"It would appear someone wanted out of this place." Mara stated. "They wanted out bad enough, they did what Bat Wing has been wanting us to do."

"Kill a fellow student" Gordon replied nervously.

"But who and why?" asked Troy.

"The motive" Zoe answered. We all turned in her direction. "It must have of been the motive. Bat Wing freaked someone out enough and they went and killed Shauna so they could escape."

"Oh man, this is for real" Harry stated starting to freak out.

Suddenly Bat Wing flew into the game room, startling everyone.

"Hello there students, nice morning we are having aren't we?" he asked.

"Cut the crap Bat Bot" Den said angrily.

"Indeed, let me get straight to the point;" Bat Wing replied. "It appears Shauna is the first one of you to die in this killing game, leaving seventeen of you left. One of you is the killer."

His last words got everyone looking at each other.

"I will give you two hours to investigate, look all over the school. I am even gonna allow anyone to access any of your rooms, including Shauna's."

"What?! I don't want people just going through my room!" Leah exclaimed.

"What could the matter be? Are you afraid someone might find evidence that your'e the killer?" asked Bat Wing.

A lot of people starred at Leah, so she kept her mouth shut.

"That is what I thought, as I was saying feel free to investigate anywhere in the school to look for clues on just who the killer might be. After those two hours, you will all come to the court room to start the class trial to try and uncover the truth. And once again, find out the killer, then only they will be executed and the remaining students will continue their life at Future Hope High School. But if you guess incorrectly, then everyone besides the killer will be killed, and the killer will get to leave this school."

"I see, wow" Bradford stated.

"Yep, that is what will be happening with you guys." Also a file on this murder has been added to your phones, use that file to gain new knowledge on this case and maybe even bring it up during the class trial. And with that, you have two hours. Begin!"

Bat Wing flew out of the game room, starting most of us. We were all silent for a bit until Gordon broke the silence.

"Look guys, I know we're all freaking out over everything, but we have to focus. We got two hours to look for clues before we ultimately decide who we think killed Shauna."

"I hate to actually work with any of you, but he is right." Zoe said agreeing. "If we can't find out who the killer is, everyone here except for the killer will die be killed."

"I suppose we should all split up around the school and look for clues" said Grace.

"I'll stay here" Den replied. "Everyone turned in his direction.

"Why are you staying here?" asked a confused Dianna.

"To guard the crime scene" answered Den. "If alone, the killer could mess up the crime scene and throw us off our game."

"For once, I actually agree with you" replied Bethany. "But I will stay here with you."

"I can do this alone" Den replied annoyed.

"No you can't" Bethany shot back firmly. "If you're the killer and I'm not saying you are, but if you were and you were here alone, you could do exactly what you said and mess up the crime scene."

"Fair enough" replied Den.

"Okay that appears settled" said Gordon. Bethany and Den will stay here and guard the crime scene, the rest of you will look for clues. Let's move!"

Everyone except for Bethany, Den, and I headed out of the game room in somewhat of a hurry, I tried to call to Gordon, but he quickly exited the game room. That got me a bit down, but I know he only wants to solve this case and make sure the innocent students survive. I should get investigating too, but I decided to stick around in the game room for a bit.

First I pulled up out my phone to look at this so called file of the murder of Shauna, sure enough it was there. It said that Shauna was killed last night at around 2:00am and her cause of death was several wounds to the head from blunt force. Her body was discovered in the game room.

"Hey!" Den shouted.

I turned towards him. "Yes?"

"Why the hell are you still wasting time here? Go find some damn clues!"

"Easy Den" Bethany replied sternly. "I assume she was just looking at the file of this murder."

"Whatever" Den replied.

I walked over towards the body to see better. Shauna lay on her with several noticeable wounds. Her head appeared to have been hit with some blunt force that would of caused it to bleed. There was also a decent size bruise in the middle of her nose and eyes from something. Her body also lay next to the pool table, which had blood on it.

"It has to be the pool table" I said aloud. Bethany and Den turned towards me.

"How do you know?" Den asked.

"It has blood on it, the killer must of smashed Shauna's head into the pool table before throwing her onto the ground" I answered.

"I see" Bethany replied very interested.

I then saw the eight ball near one of the legs of the pool table, which also had a bit of blood on it. It then hit me.

"The killer must of chucked the eight ball at her, which hit her in the face."

"Again, how do you know?" asked Den.

"The bloody eight ball is on the ground, so the killer probably just left it there after hitting Shauna in the face with it. It definitely matches the bruises between her eyes and nose."

"I see you're onto something there Annie" Bethany said impressed.

There also appeared to be something in blood written on the leg of the pool table that was right near Shauna's body. Although it was messy, it appeared to be a big SL.

"This message on the pool table leg, I think it says SL" I said.

"Weird, but could it be the initials of the killer?" asked Den.

"I don't think so" Bethany answered. "I saw those letters too when I first came into the game room and thought that, but nobody here has those initials."

"Damn" replied Den. "We could of solved this mystery with that."

"That also reminds me" I said. Bethany and Den turned in my direction. "After our meeting last night, some of us stayed here to play games. Bethany, weren't you among those who stayed?"

"Yes I was" Bethany answered. "I was playing more darts with Dianna, Leah, and... Shauna."

"I remember" I replied. "Also Harry, Clay, and Troy played pool last night after the rest of us left. Maybe any of you seven noticed anything suspicious at the time or anything?"

"I'm sorry Annie, but the girls and I just focused on our game of darts for the remaining time we were in there. Although us four girls left to return to our rooms while the guys were still playing pool, so they must have been the last people in here before the murder of Shauna."

"That has to be the case, I'll try and find one of those three guys who where in here last night after the meeting."

"Good luck Annie" Bethany said smiling.

I waved goodbye to Bethany and Den, then headed out of the game room. In the hallway, I ran into Troy who was on his phone which appeared to have a cracked screen.

"Hey Troy" I said.

I appeared to have startled Troy, but he quickly regained his composure after he saw who it was and smiled. "Hello Annie."

"What happened to you phone?" I asked.

"Dropped it in my room this morning, but I don't think Bat Wing cares about our phones being cracked" replied putting it his pocket.

"True enough, find any clues yet?"

"No I'm afraid not, but I really hope we do. I don't wanna die, I wanna get get out of here and see my brother."

"Don't worry Troy, I'm sure we will. Also I believe last night you stayed behind in the game room after the meeting to play pool with Harry and Clay right?"

"Correct."

"Well Bethany said she and the girls who were playing darts left before you guys did, so you three were the last ones in the game room before the murder. Do you recall anything specious there and did you, Harry, and Clay leave together?"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't notice anything odd after the meeting and yes the three of us walked back to our rooms together after playing pool. I would for sure have suspected Harry and Clay if one of them stayed behind after me."

"I see" I replied. "Well thank you Troy, but I'm gonna go see what I can find. Try not to worry, we will find the killer and survive."

Troy smiled at me "I know we will."

I waved goodbye to Troy and decided to head up to our rooms. I passed several people on the way over, but they were all in a hurry to find clues before our time expired. I got up to our rooms and walked into mine where Maxwell was looking around.

"Maxwell!" I shouted angrily. "What are you doing in my room?!"

"Looking for clues" he replied smugly.

"Cut it out, I'm sure you been looking for clues in all the rooms being to women."

"Hey now, remember what Bat Wing implied? Only the killer wouldn't want everyone going through their room and possibly finding evidence that points to them."

"Whatever" I replied annoyed before getting angry after remembering something from last night. "Hey! Why were you looking starring at Gordon and I last night?!"

"Gonna have to plead the fifth there baby" Maxwell replied as he quickly ran out the door.

"What a pervert" I said out loud.

I quickly remembered there wasn't much time left and got back to investigating. I searched the rooms of the seven people who stayed behind in the game room last night after our meeting incase any of them might have been the killer, but I didn't find anything. As I leaving the last room I searched I heard the intercoms click on.

"Attention students!" shouted Bat Wing. "Investigation is over! Please report to the court room at once! It is the room next to the gym!" The intercoms clicked off.

"This is it." I said out loud.

I immediately headed over to the court room. When I got there, I saw the rest of my friends had already arrived, as well as Bat Wing. When he saw me, he smiled.

"Good" Bat Wing said. "Everyone is here, please head into the court room to start the very first class trial!"

We all started heading into the courtroom, all of us looking nervous. My anxiety was through the roof, but I knew I had to be strong and remain calm in order to find out which one of my friends killed Shauna.


	9. Chapter 9-The First Class Trial Begins

The courtroom wasn't quite what I expected. It consisted of eighteen podiums, which I assumed was for each of us. I also notice on podium was already occupied by a portrait on a stand. I suddenly got more anxious as I realized it was a black and white portrait of Shauna with a red X over her face, so disturbing! The only other thing in the courtroom was a giant chair on the wall, which Bat Wing flew onto to and sat down. He then turned to us.

"Okay people! Each of you will go to a podium, your names are on the back of them. Let's move!"

We all went to our respective podium and of course I was right at the top near Bat Wing's chair. The order going clock wise was me, Harry, Bethany, Bradford, Leah, Barry, Shauna's portrait, Gordon, Zoe, Maxwell, Mara, Clay, Dianna, Seth, Grace, Den, Laurel, and finally Troy.

"Alright students" Bat Wing said. "Let us begin with a simple explanation of the class trial! During this trial, you will make your arguments on who you think the killer is and then vote for your final answer. If you vote correctly, then only the killer will face my execution. But if you vote incorrectly, everyone else will be executed! And the killer will be able to leave this school! Go ahead and get started!

"Before we start" I said. "Why is that portrait her?"

"Good question Annie!" Bat Wing stated. "I really want us all to be here, so these portraits and yes I say portraits cause I know I will have to make more, they will be here to represent the fallen! Okay no more questions, begin!"

"Um" Laurel said nervously. "Where do we even begin?"

"We should start this off with the murder weapon" replied Clay. "That is a good place to start."

"What was used to kill Shauna?" asked Mara looking at her phone. "The file says blunt force."

"But that doesn't give us any leads!" complained Bradford. "A lot of stuff in this school could of caused blunt force and nobody found anything suspicious during the investigation!"

"Wait!" I called. Everyone turned to look at me, I was getting anxious again, but I managed to pull through." "It was the pool table!"

"The pool table?" asked a confused Maxwell. "Why do you think it was the pool table?"

"Shauna's body had a few wounds on her head and the blood piles started with the top of the pool table, it has to be the murder weapon."

"I must agree with her" replied Bethany. "Annie discussed this with Den and I when we were on guard duty, it makes perfect sense the killer smashed Shauna's head on the pool table."

"I didn't wanna believe it" said Den. "But I can see why she would think that was how Shauna was finished off."

"I agree as well" replied Gordon. "I investigated the crime scene as well and came to the same conclusion."

"Okay, so we can all get behind the murder weapon being the pool table." said Grace. "How was the killer able kill to put Shauna in a position where he could smash her head?"

"I'm thinking that too" Harry replied.

"Maybe they fought and the killer was simply strong enough to overpower her?" asked Troy.

"Could they have been playing a game of pool and the killer surprised her like that?" asked Dianna.

"Or Shauna was alone in the game room at the time and was standing near the pool table" stated Seth. "Then the killer snuck up behind her and killed her?"

"The eight ball" I said. Everyone turned to look at me.

"Explain" Zoe demanded sternly.

"Near one of the legs of the pool table, a bloody eight ball lay" I replied. "I believe the killer was already in the game room before Shauna, once she entered, the killer hit her right in the face with the ball. There is a bruise between Shauna's eyes and nose to back me up."

"I noticed that too!" stated Leah. "And the shape of the bruise does match up with a billiards ball!"

"I agree with that as well" Bethany said. "Annie discussed the ball with Den and I as well."

"The killer hit Shauna in the face with the eight ball, which definitely hurt her and left her vulnerable" I said. "After the first attack, the killer either simply dragged her over to the pool table or they fought, but the end result is still the same. The killer got Shauna with the eight ball to the face and then finished her off by smashing her head on the pool table."

"Well done love" Gordon said smiling and I returned the smile. "You're doing great so far."

"Don't get comfortable" Zoe stated firmly. "We may know how Shauna was killed, but we still need to find out who killed her and we got a lot of suspects here."

"Who could the killer be?" asked Harry.

Laurel brought out her phone to check the file. "This stupid file doesn't offer any suspects."

"If I recall last night after our meeting.." Grace started on. "Some people stayed behind in the game room to play games."

"Who stayed behind last night?" asked Bradford.

"It was seven people in total." I stated. "Harry, Troy, Clay, Bethany, Dianna, Leah, and Grace. The three guys played pool and the four girls played darts."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Seth. "I remembered it was them who stayed behind, so one of those seven must be the killer!"

"Think again you idiot" replied an annoyed Mara. "Shauna can't be the killer because she is the victim."

"Shauna is off the list for obvious reasons" replied Gordon. "That leaves us with those six of Harry, Troy, Clay, Bethany, Dianna, and Leah."

"Hold up there!" Leah exclaimed a little angry. "You can't just decide it was one of us just because we stayed in the game room a little longer."

"Agreed" said Dianna.

"Tell us what happened and maybe provide an alibi" demanded Zoe.

"Dianna, Leah, Shauna, and I simply finished our game of darts before returning to our rooms together." stated Bethany.

"Agreed once again" stated Dianna.

"That is what happened" replied Leah.

"How about you three guys who stayed behind to play pool, did those four girls leave before you did?" asked Den.

"Yes" replied all three guys.

"That should draw suspicion away from Dianna, Leah, and myself" stated Bethany.

"For now" replied Zoe. "Now you three guys, what happened after the girls left?"

"We played some pool before calling it a night before returning to our rooms together." answered Clay.

"I can confirm that" replied Troy.

"I as well" replied Harry.

"So none of the seven who stayed behind in the game room could of killed Shauna?" asked Maxwell.

"No you perverted idiot" replied Mara. "Any of those seven could still be the killer, all they proven was that nothing happened while any of them stayed behind in the game room after our meeting."

"Shauna returned to the game room later on in the night and the killer came back to" I said. "But why Shauna returned is still unknown at the moment."

"I would like to why Shauna went back to the game room in the middle of the night." asked Grace.

"What time was she killed again?" asked Den.

"The file said about 2:00am" answered Harry. "Our rooms are a bit of a walk from the game room, my money is on she left at maybe 1:40am and arrived just before 2:00am if she was killed pretty quick."

"Is there any way to be certain on the time Shauna went to the game room?" asked Bethany.

"I don't think so" answered Leah.

"What can we do?" asked Troy.

"I don't think knowing the exact times is an issue" I answered. "Right now we should find out why Shauna went back to the game room."

"Was she kidnapped from her room?" asked Maxwell.

"If so, how did the killer get in? asked Laurel. "Only are own phones can let us into our own rooms?"

"I don't think the killer kidnapped Shauna and took her to the game room to kill her" answered Clay. "I definitely think she came to the game room on her own."

"I suppose that makes sense" said Bradford. "It would be easier to go to where she is and kill her instead of wasting time dragging her a decent way to do the job."

"But still, why did Shauna go to the game room in the middle of the night?" asked Mara.

"We are all equally suspicious and we'll have to reveal our alibis to prove our innocence" replied Gordon.

"It was the middle of the night" said Zoe. "Nobody has an alibi for that time."

I just realized that since Gordon and I stayed in my room last night and didn't fall asleep till past 3:30am in the morning, which was more than an hour and a half after the murder, Gordon and I were each other's alibis and proved our innocence. However, I was a bit anxious to share the information of Gordon and I staying in the same room last night."

"But thankfully, I don't think alibis will be necessary" finished Zoe.

"How so?" asked a confused Dianna.

"Becasue I have proof on who the killer is."

Zoe suddenly pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and showed it to everyone."

"This might be stupid, but Gordon slipped me a note under my door saying he wanted to talk to me in the game room tonight. Gordon is a real nice guy and doesn't seem like he means any harm, but if something happens to me, just know what happened before hand."

"This note is signed by Shauna!" Maxwell exclaimed!

"Gordon is the killer!?" asked Troy.

"Gordon killed Shauna!" exclaimed Leah.

"No!" I thought to myself. "This isn't true!" Gordon isn't the killer! I got to stop this!"

"No" I started anxiously. "Gordon isn't...

"Quiet" demanded Zoe. "We don't need to hear anymore form you."

"What can I do?" I thought to myself. "If they won't listen to me and vote for Gordon as the killer, everyone except the actual killer will die!"


	10. Chapter 10-The First Trial Wraps Up

"I'm sorry, but what the hell are you even talking about Zoe?" asked Gordon a little nervously.

"What she said is on the note there" Maxwell replied.

"Looks like you have some explaining to do Gordon" said Leah.

"Please hold on!" I called out. "That note isn't enough proof to confirm Gordon is the killer!"

"Of course you say that" replied Den. "We can all tell you two are an item, so of course you are trying to defend him!"

"You can't let emotions cloud your judgement Annie" Zoe stated sternly. "If Gordon is the killer and we don't vote for him, you'll die while he lives."

"But wait!" I called out again. "Where is your proof that Gordon even wrote that note?! Anyone could of written that note!"

"I mean" Harry started. "I suppose that is true. Where exactly did you find that note Zoe?"

"Obviously in Shauna's room during the investigation." Zoe answered. "I think it is obvious she wrote this note before heading over to the game room last night. She was right about it being stupid as well."

"Easy there Zoe" replied Grace. "While you are saying makes sense in one way, it could also be a totally different thing."

"How so?" asked Troy.

"During our investigation, the killer could of snuck into Shauna's room which had open access at the time. If no one was looking, the killer could of placed the note in her room and then we would all think Shauna wrote it last night before returning to the game room."

"I guess that could make sense" Seth replied pretty unsurely.

"How about this?" asked Gordon. "After killing Shauna last night, the killer left the note in her room."

"Nice try" replied Bradford smugly. "The killer couldn't of gotten into Shauna's room as only her phone could get her in."

"Except that the killer probably has her phone at the very moment" I replied. "Shauna's phone was never found during our investigation, so I think it is fair to say the killer took her phone."

"With her phone, the killer could of easily gotten into Shauna's room to leave the note" Bethany stated.

"We seem to have quite a few possibilities for the note" said Clay.

"Exactly!" I exclaimed. "We can't proof it was Gordon who wrote the note! Right now it appears the killer is trying to frame him!"

"But how do we find out who wrote the note?" asked Troy.

"The handwriting does look pretty girly, so I think we can narrow it down to all the girls" replied Maxwell.

"Shut up you sexist pervert!" exclaimed Laurel. "We can't narrow it down based on the looks of the handwriting."

"Shut up all of you" demanded Zoe. "I know how we can easily figure out who wrote this note."

"How?" asked Harry.

"Bat Wing" replied Zoe.

"You got it!" Bat Wing replied.

Suddenly Bat Wing flew around our podiums dropping off pens and paper to all of us before returning to his chair.

"What the hell is this?" asked Den.

"When I found this note during the investigation, I called Bat Wing over and asked if we could do a little test during the trial" answered Zoe. "I thought some of you wouldn't be convinced Gordon is the killer, so we'll all right a copy of the note and compare the hand writing."

"I see" replied Mara. "If someone's handwriting matches up to the note you found, they must be the killer." But if none of our handwriting matches up, then that means Shauna wrote the note."

"Which would mean Gordon did call her to the game room" said a surprised Troy.

"Hold on" demanded Dianna. "Before we write, why did you wait to reveal the note Zoe?"

"I beg your pardon?" asked Zoe.

"If you believe Gordon is the killer, why did you not reveal the note at the beginning of the trial?"

Zoe then gained a somewhat creepy smile. "I wanted to see where things would go, where is the fun in just ending it all in the beginning?"

"You're a scary lady you know that" said Bradford.

"Shut up" replied Zoe frowning. "Everyone write now"

We all wrote a copy of the note and then we all took turns comparing our copies to the note Zoe found. All our handwriting proved to be much different than Zoe's note.

"Well well" said Mara "All our notes are different than the first one."

"Which means none of us wrote the note Zoe found" replied Leah.

"Which means Shauna wrote it" stated Den.

"And that means that Gordon did call Shauna to the game room last night to kill her!" exclaimed Seth.

"Gordon" started Laurel nervously. "Was it really you?"

"No! It wasn't me!" answered Gordon.

"It wasn't him!" I cried.

"Yeah right, like anything you two say is gonna change our minds" said a smug Maxwell.

"I'm sorry" stated Troy. "But it does look like Gordon is our prime suspect."

"Just listen to me!" I cried.

"Shut up" said Zoe coldly.

"Hang on" replied Bethany frowning. "We should all listen to what she has to say. If Annie can prove Gordon's innocence, I would like to hear it."

"I agree there" stated Harry. "If we vote wrong, only the killer leaves this courtroom alive."

"Fine" said Bradford. "What do you have for us?"

"Well" I said anxiously.

I knew deep down I had to reveal that Gordon and I stayed in my room last night and we were both up long past the murder, therefore I was Gordon's alibi. But I was a bit hesitant to just reveal that in front of everyone.

"Stop wasting time" demanded Zoe. "If you have something to say, then say it. Otherwise, we'll vote for Gordon."

"Annie" Gordon said calmly, you can do this." He then gave me a big smile.

I was suddenly full of courage. "I can prove Gordon couldn't of killed Shauna."

"How so?" demanded Den.

"Gordon stayed with me in my room last night" I replied.

"Doing what I wonder?" asked Maxwell in a pervert tone.

"Shut up!" yelled Leah.

"Yes, Gordon stayed in my room last night and we we're both up till past 3:30am" I continued. "If you check the file, it will say Shauna died around 2:00am, therefore by the time we fell asleep, Shauna was already dead."

"That is true" replied Laurel who was looking at her phone. "Shauna did die at 2:00am last night."

"That should prove it" I said. "Gordon has an alibi"

"That would appear so" answered Clay.

"Hold on" demanded Zoe. "Can anyone prove you two stayed in your room last night?"

"What?" I asked confused.

"You heard me" answered Zoe. "I would like someone to prove you two slept together last night."

"Why are you asking that?" asked Gordon. "Annie already confirmed my alibi." 

"Maybe her word isn't good enough" replied Zoe. "Anyone here can confirm you two are pretty close, so she just may be covering for you. Until a third party can confirm your alibi, you are still our prime suspect Gordon."

"I can get behind that" said Bradford. "For all we know, Gordon and Annie teamed up to kill Shauna.

"I would say it would be stupid to team up, as I'm sure you all know, only the actual killer will be able to leave" said Mara. "But in this case, Annie does seem pretty weak minded, so I can believe Gordon manipulated her into helping him kill Shauna and then cover for him."

"No!" I cried.

"I'm sorry Annie" replied Leah. "But we just can't believe your word given the circumstances."

"If you can't prove that Gordon stayed with you last night, I think it will soon be time to vote" said Seth.

"What are we gonna do?" I asked myself in a panic. "How can I prove that Gordon stayed in my room last night?"

"Without a third party" stated Zoe. "We can't just take your word for it."

"Wait!" I cried. "I know someone who can back up my word!"

"Who would that be?" asked Bethany.

"Maxwell" I stated. "After the meeting Gordon and I walked back to our rooms and I asked him to stay with me. There was no one in the hallway to confirm, but we noticed Maxwell peaking out from his door starring at us."

"Of course he was" Grace stated rolling her eyes.

"Is this true Maxwell?" asked Zoe.

"Uh... oh yeah it is!" Maxwell exclaimed. "I did see them in the hallway together and heard what they said. Annie is telling the truth!"

"Man! Next time you can confirm, say so right away!" exclaimed Harry. "You do realize had we all voted for Gordon, then sixteen of us would of died?!"

"Oops" answered Maxwell.

"Hang on" stated Den. "The pervert may of seen them talking about staying together, but did you see those two go into Annie's room?"

"No I didn't actually" answered Maxwell. "I shut my door while they were still in the hallway."

"If that is the case, then Maxwell seeing them talking in the hallway isn't good enough" stated Zoe.

"No!" I cried to myself. "They can't pin this on Gordon!"

"Actually, I can confirm that Annie is telling the truth" said Barry out of nowhere.

Everyone including Bat Wing seemed to be shocked at Barry's words.

"Dude!" cried Laurel. "I totally forgot you talked!

"About damn time you actually do something" replied Den.

"Leave the guy alone" stated Clay.

"Wait Barry, you're saying you saw Annie and Gordon go into Annie's room last night?" asked Troy.

"Yes" replied Barry. "I was gonna go for a walk to clear my head, but as I was opening my door, I saw Annie and Gordon in the hallway. But pretty much after I opened my door, I saw them go into Annie's room."

"And with that third party, that should be enough to proof to show that both myself and Annie actually didn't kill Shauna."

"It would appear so" replied Dianna.

"I guess so" stated Seth.

"Can we be sure though that Annie still isn't covering for Gordon and that he is actually the killer?" asked Mara.

"Enough!" I shouted. "I'm not covering for Gordon, we are each other's alibi. We were in my room way past the murder! The killer is trying to frame Gordon by tricking Shauna into thinking it was him who wanted to see her in the game room!"

"Yeah I think we can drop this idea" stated Harry.

"Agreed" replied Grace.

"Very well" stated Zoe. "But even if we cross off both Gordon and Annie, that still leaves fifteen possible killers."

"Well hey, you wasted a lot of time trying to pin this murder on Gordon!" cried Bradford. "Maybe it was you Zoe!"

"Don't forget, Den here is an actual criminal" stated Maxwell.

"Fuck off pervert!" shouted Den. "I still don't trust this quiet nerd Barry!"

"Are we sure that the people who stayed behind in the game room after the meeting didn't do anything shady that no one saw?" asked Laurel.

"We aren't back to that again are we?!" asked Leah.

"Everyone calm down!" demanded Gordon. "We can't do anything if we just go around accusing each other."

"But what are we gonna do?!" asked Seth in a panic. "We have no idea who killed Shauna!"

"If only this stupid file on our phones had more to offer us" Troy stated holding his phone out.

"Is this the end for us?! cried Grace.

"Surely we can think of something else" said Bethany.

"What are we gonna do?" I asked to myself. "I may of proven Gordon's innocence as well as showed that it couldn't of been me either, but we still are a long way off from finding the killer."

I looked around to the room at everyone in a panic, but then it hit me!

"No way!" I thought to myself. "This person can't be the killer! But... it must be the truth!"

"Everyone!" I cried out loud. Everyone turned to look at me. "I believe I know who killed Shauna."

"What!?" cried Leah.

"Who is it?" asked Clay. "Who is the killer?"

"Troy" I said firmly. "You're the killer!"

"What?!" cried Troy. "What are you saying Annie?!"

"Is this true?" asked Maxwell.

"Explain yourself Annie" demanded Zoe firmly.

"Troy's phone" I answered. "During the investigation, I talked to Troy who was on his phone at the time. But that phone had a cracked screen and the phone he has now clearly isn't cracked."

"I'm not following" said a confused Bradford.

"We didn't find Shauna's phone during the investigation and we agreed the killer took her phone. If Troy has two phones on him, that can only mean one thing."

"He has Shauna's phone as well" stated Gordon.

"And that would only be because he killed her." replied Den.

"No!" screamed Troy. "This bitch is lying! She can't prove she saw me with a different phone!"

"Why are you freaking out Troy?" asked Dianna suspiciously. "If you're innocent, no reason for freaking out?"

"And why would Annie lie to us?" asked Bethany. "We already know she us innocent, she has no reason to lie to us. She would only want to speak the truth to ensure her survival."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Harry. "Troy you have some explaining to do!"

"I... I..." Troy tried to say.

"You better answer now" demanded Leah. "You're looking pretty guilty right now."

"Allow me" I said. "We couldn't find Shauna's phone because the killer took it and they didn't want to risk it being found, so they decided not to hide it anywhere. Therefore, Toy must have her phone now!"

"No!" cried Troy. "It isn't true!"

"And the cracked phone must belong to Shauna" I continued. "Her phone most likely fell out of her pocket and cracked on the floor when he attacked her in the game room."

"NOOOOOO!" Troy continued to cry.

"Troy must of slipped her a note saying to meet her in the game room last night and he signed it from Gordon to frame him" I stated. "Shauna was right to be suspicious, which is why she left a note to tell us what happened."

"Fortunately for the killer, that made the case worse for me" Gordon said. "Once we proved Shauna wrote the note, that was more evidence against me."

"But it wasn't enough" I continued. "We discovered the truth! Troy lured Shauna down to the game room to kill her. After he killed her, he took her phone as well."

"You still can't prove it was me!" shouted Troy.

"I have more" I replied. "Shauna didn't die right away. She lived a little bit longer after Troy left."

"How so?" asked Mara.

"She left us a dying message on the pool table" I answered. "SL"

"I saw that" stated Harry. "But how exactly does that point to Troy?"

"Shauna must of knew she didn't have much time left" I answered. "She wanted to leave us a message for who killed her, but she didn't have the strength or time to write his name. Therefore, she simply wrote SL which stands for sign language."

"And Troy is the ultimate signer." stated Zoe.

"NO! NO! NO!" Troy cried.

"If that isn't enough to convince you, empty your pockets to prove that you have two phones on you!" I demanded.

"Never!" Troy cried.

Laurel who was next to him quickly reached into the pocket of his pants that was near her and pulled out a phone, the phone had a cracked screen.

"Just like Annie said" Gordon stated. "Troy has two phones." 

"And one of them belonged to Shauna." Dianna stated sadly.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! Noooooooooo!" cried Troy.

"I think it is time to wrap this up" Zoe said with no emotion. "Bat Wing, we are ready to vote."

"You got it" Bat Wing replied. "Time to vote!"

Suddenly screens came down to all of us. On each screen there was a picture of all of us on them.

"Touch the face of the person that you think is the killer!" exclaimed Bat Wing.

Everyone except Troy quickly pressed his face, I don't think any of us we're looking at him.

"Well people, it appears you have voted for Troy Kind, the ultimate signer!" exclaimed Bat Wing. "And you are right!"

Even though we voted correctly and survived this class trial, I didn't feel good. I couldn't believe that Troy killed Shauna in cold blood.


	11. Chapter 11-First Execution

"You bastard!" cried Leah who looked like she was ready to lung at Troy and kill him. "How could you?!"

"I can't believe it Troy" Harry stated shaking his head. "I can't believe it."

"What did I say before?" asked Zoe. "It didn't take long before on of us cracked under the pressure and killed someone."

"Was it the motive?" asked Bethany. "Did the motive freak you out that much?"

"You better start talking Troy!" exclaimed Den. "Or else I'll be the one to execute you!"

"No you will not!" protested Bat Wing. "That job belongs to me!"

"Please Troy" I pleaded. "Why did you kill Shauna?"

Troy just starred at us all in silence as he waited for an answer before finally speaking up. "Oliver."

"Who with the what now?" asked Bradford.

"Isn't he..." replied Grace.

"Your brother?" finished Gordon.

"Yes" answered Troy. "I love my brother Oliver more than anything else in this world. I just had to escape here so I could see him again, even if I had to..."

"Kill someone" finished Zoe.

"No!" cried Troy. "I never wanted to kill Shauna! I didn't want to kill anyone! I just..."

"But you still did" replied Mara. "You killed Shauna."

"You went out of your way to make a plan to kill her" stated Maxwell."

"As well as frame Gordon and sacrifice us just so you could leave" finished Seth.

"Troy" Dianna started with. "I understand you miss your brother, but what you did is simply unforgivable. We all have loved ones we miss, but you can't justify killing someone with that."

"I don't even know what to think right now" said Clay.

"Troy" Laurel said sadly. She looked like she was about to start crying.

"I'm... I'm.. I'm sorry everyone." Troy stated who was looking pretty defeated.

"Troy.." I started with before being interrupted by Bat Wing.

"Okay that is enough talking, it is time for Troy to pay the piper!"

"What?!" asked Harry.

"You don't mean?" asked Grace.

"No you can't!" I cried. "You can't kill him.

"Please no!" cried Troy. "I have to get out of here!"

"You killed, but failed to fool your classmates Mr. Kind" replied Bat Wing. "You know his this works! Next up, your execution!"

"Nooooooo!" screamed Troy.

Bat Wing suddenly flew up to the ceiling and disappeared. Right after he left, a giant hole opened in one of the walls and a giant chain came and wrapped around Troy's neck. Nearly everyone in the courtroom screamed or cried out to Troy, but there was nothing we could do as he was pulled into the hole screaming his head off. The hole immediately closed after Troy was pulled in. Suddenly a giant monitor came down to those of us who were left, it was blank for about twenty seconds until it turned to Troy in a dark room, he feet chained to the floor. He looked panicked and was trying to break free.

"Troy!" cried Clay.

"What the hell is this?!" demanded Den.

"What's going on?!" asked Laurel.

"Troy's execution" I replied getting very anxious.

Suddenly a whole bunch of spinning blades came up to right near where Troy was causing him to freak out even more. Then Bat Wing flew up to him.

"If you want to free Oliver, you're have to sign."

"What?!" Troy cried out.

Suddenly we saw a room with a giant glass window on the screen. Inside the room there appeared to be a guy looking really similar to Troy.

"Oliver!" cried Troy.

On the door of the room had a long list of words, making it obvious that Bat Wing wants Troy to sing those words. But as Troy started, we realized in horror that his hands would be getting cut up by the blades.

"Oh my god" stated Mara.

"Troy!" cried Bethany.

"This is so messed up" replied Seth.

Troy signed as fast as he could, but the faster he went, the more he bled from the blades slicing up his hands. After only a couple minutes, he stopped signing. The blades went away and his feet were free. Troy ran as fast as he could he could to the room with his hands bleeding, which were now missing quite a few fingers. He got to the door and opened it. He went up to his brother and hugged him, only then did all of us including Troy realize it wasn't his brother. It was just a dummy that looked like him. Troy fell to his knees.

"Oliver!" he screamed as he slowly fell over and then went silent as he slowly closed his eyes and died from blood lost.

The screen shut off and saying we were freaked out was an understatement. Leah, Grace, and Laurel had all started crying while Bethany and Dianna were trying to comfort them even though they were both pretty shaken up themselves. Clay and Harry were both breathing pretty heavily and trying to calm themselves down. Bradford, Maxwell, and Seth all just stood looking ready to freak out any second. Barry stood alone holding himself. Den punched the wall a few times, while Mara just starred at him with her hand over her mouth. Zoe just watched all of us with no emotion in her eyes. Gordon quickly came over to me and hugged.

"Are you okay love?" he asked.

I couldn't answer him, I was just too shook up from this whole day. Bat Wing suddenly flew back to all of us smiling.

"Alright people! I think we had a good first murder, trial, and execution!" he exclaimed.

"What did you say?!" asked Gordon.

"Sixteen of you remain, I wonder who will be the next person bite the dust?" asked Bat Wing.

"No one will!" cried Bethany. "Troy may of cracked under the pressure, but the rest of us will pull through and get out of this school!"

"There won't be any more killings!" cried Harry.

"They're right!" exclaimed.

"Hahahaha" laughed Bat Wing. "Don't count on it.

Bat Wing flew away, leaving the rest of us alone. We stood in silence for a bit.

"We should go" said Bradford.

"Yeah" agreed Grace. "Staying here won't do us any good."

Quickly we exited the court room and gathered in the hall way.

"Listen up guys" Gordon stated. "We need to do something to make sure this never happens again."

"Don't waste our time" replied Zoe. "Shauna and Troy were only the beginning, any one of us is bond to try to kill someone." Zoe then walked away.

"This is so messed up!" cried Maxwell who also left the group.

"I think we should all rest up for now." said Dianna.

"That would probably be best" replied Clay.

Everyone went off different ways to do their own thing. Gordon walked me back to my room and we just fell asleep in each other's arms. Even though we were all still standing, this was only the beginning.


	12. Chapter 12-More Daily Life

Gordon and I slept for a long time and after we woke up, we just stayed in my room until we fell asleep for the night. But on the bright side, we were both able to wake up pretty early. After changing and all the usual morning routines, we headed down to the cafeteria for breakfast. When we arrived, only Mara was there eating her breakfast, she turned to us when we arrived.

"My guess is Grace is still shaken up from the trial and seeing Troy be executed, so she wasn't in her usual mood to make us all breakfast."

"I can definitely see that" replied Gordon.

"Me too" I replied still a bit shaken up. "I'm still anxious from it all yesterday."

"You'll have to brush it off" replied Mara. "You won't be able to keep going if you stay down defeated like that."

"Relax" Gordon said turning to me. "Let's grab something to eat Annie, we'll be fine making it ourselves, we can't always expect Grace to cook for us."

Gordon and I got some food and had a nice breakfast, we tried talking to Mara more, but she didn't really have much to say. Mara does appear to also be a bit of a bitch, but definitely not as bad as Zoe.

Gordon and I finished eating and headed out of the cafeteria. We started a nice walk.

"What shall we do now Gordon?" I asked smiling at him.

He returned the smile "I was thinking love, if we're going to get out of this school alive, we all need to be united as one."

"I agree, but what do you have in mind for that?"

"Simple, we'll talk to our fellow students and make friends with them."

"I see" I replied a little unsurely. "I do agree with your plan, but for some of them, they probably won't even want to talk to us."

"That should only be a few of them" Gordon said. "The rest will definitely be friendly, we just have to talk to them more."

"Okay" I responded smiling.

"Great" Gordon replied. "I would say we go around talking to people together, but we'll increase our efforts by splitting up and befriending people. Let's meet back by your room in a couple of hours."

"Sounds like a plan" I replied.

"Bye for now love" Gordon called as he started to run off down the hallway.

"He really is cute" I thought to myself as I waved to him. "Well time to go make some new friends."

I walked around the school for a bit until I saw Barry sitting in the court yard. I immediately headed outside to talk to him, he turned to me as soon as he heard the door opening.

"Hello Barry" I greeted smiling at him.

He looked so shy and nervous. "Hi.. Annie"

"Relax dude, you don't have to be so shy. I'm just making friendly conversation with you.

Barry just starred at me in silence for a bit. "Okay."

"So, did you eat yet?"

"No... I wanted to get some fresh air first."

"I see, well unless she got up recently, Grace hasn't made her usual breakfast."

"That isn't an... issue.. for me."

"So" I replied getting a bit anxious myself. "How are you holding up after yesterday?"

"Fine" Barry replied.

"That's good, we all need to be friends and be united if we're gonna escape from this school. None of us can take on Bat Wing alone."

"I'm not so sure honestly... some of these people... they don't seem to want to make friends."

"I know" I replied shaking my head. "Den, Zoe, Mara.. but we'll all have to be united to avoid another killing."

Just hearing the word killing seem to really freak out Barry who started holding himself, I think it was time for me to go.

"Alright Barry, nice talking to" I said as I started to leave.

Barry just stood there shaking and holding himself, poor guy. I left the court yard and headed off to find someone new to talk to. As I passed the bathrooms, Clay walked out and we made eye contact.

"Good morning Clay" I said smiling.

"Good morning Annie" he returned the greeting.

"How are you doing this morning?

"Not too bad honesty, we just have to keep moving on as simply being afraid isn't going to help us at all."

"Glad to see you're staying positive.

"Thanks" replied smiling. "Anyway, how about a small game of trivia?"

"Um, sure" I answered while quickly thinking of some questions. "What is the largest state in the United States?"

"Alaska."

"How old is Donald Trump?"

"Seventy-two."

"What is the sixth planet from the sun?"

"Saturn."

"Wow" I said impressed. "You really are the ultimate trivia master."

"Indeed I am" Clay replied smiling. "But regardless, keeping up with trivia helps me when I'm stressed, so it is always good to have someone ask me some questions.

"Glad to hear it Clay, we'll all have to be in our best shape if we're going to get out of this school."

"You got that right, Annie. Anyway, thanks for talking with me, but I'm starving so I'm gonna head to the cafeteria, but we'll have to play trivia again later."

"For sure, talk to you later."

Clay waved goodbye as he headed off to the cafeteria, I waved back as I started walking again. As I walked by the gym, Dianna walked out.

"Good Morning Dianna" I greeted.

She turned to me. "Good morning Annie" she returned the greeting.

"Were you working out in the gym?" I asked.

"Indeed I was" Dianna replied. "I haven't had much time to work out since being trapped in this place."

"I can see that, I doubt most of us have had chances to focus on our talent recently."

"Agreed, however I must make the time. I need to be in my best shape possible, I'll be competing in the Olympics one day."

"I remember you mentioned that during your introduction, must be exciting to know that."

"Indeed it is, I'm stoked for it. But before that, I'll have to get out of here."

"Right" I replied a little nervously.

"I sure hope she isn't thinking about killing someone to escape" I thought to myself.

"Of course we since we still have yet to find a way out, there is still much work to be done" Dianna continued."

"Right" I replied again.

"Never mind that, she doesn't appear to even be thinking of killing." I thought to myself.

"Anyway, nice talking to you Annie, but I need to rest up and grab something to eat so I have more energy for working out again, but I will definitely talk to you again later. See ya!"

Dianna jogged off down the hallway, I waved goodbye to her and started walking again. It might take a while, but I think the remaining students will become good friends with the help of Gordon and I, there is still hope.


	13. Chapter 13- Even More Daily Life

As I continued my walk, I once again came by the cafeteria. On her way into the cafeteria was Grace, I called to her.

"Hey Grace."

"Hello Annie."

"Are you just now coming to eat breakfast?"

"I'm afraid yes, I was just so shaken up by everything yesterday, I kind of slept in."

"Understandable" I replied smiling.

"I'm just upset I wasn't able to make breakfast for everyone." Grace continued.

"Don't worry about it Grace! You don't always have to cook for everyone, you'll tire yourself out! Let them make their own food for once!"

"I suppose that is just how I am as the ultimate event planner, and speaking of that, I have the perfect idea!"

"What is that?" I asked.

"In order to lighten the mood and get some positivity into everyones' spirits, I wanna throw a big dinner party!" Grace replied.

"That sounds wonderful" I said agreeing with her.

"Allow me to plan everything out and I'll cook us all a nice, big dinner!"

"I'll tell everyone and we can all help out by decorating the cafeteria!"

"That would be wonderful Annie thank you, let us shoot for 6:00pm tomorrow night."

"Sounds like a plan."

Grace nodded and then waved goodbye as she headed into the cafeteria, I waved and then headed off. I decided to head upstairs, I ran into Harry on the stairs.

"Hey! What is up Annie?" asked Harry.

"Hey Harry, I'm doing okay and yourself?" I replied.

"Pretty good myself thank you for asking."

"What are you up to at the moment?"

"I'm just gonna grab some food, I kind of slept in."

"Seems to be a common theme today, but I can understand why."

"Yeah, yesterday wasn't fun. But we can't give up and give into despair, we gotta keep the hope alive!"

"Right you are Harry, by the way, Grace is throwing a big dinner party for us all tomorrow night at six. She'll be cooking the food and I said I would get people to help out by decorating, can I count on you?"

"Of course!"

"Awesome! Thank you so much Harry!"

"No problem Annie, but I'll let you go now. I am starving!"

"We waved goodbye and Harry ran down the stairs. I kept on walking. Harry really is a nice guy, whenever there isn't anything serious going on, he is just always in a good mood. And Grace is like a mother, always making sure we have a good time. I kept on walking until I ended up by the pool. I saw Maxwell by the window looking through a pair of binoculars. I was immediately angry.

"Maxwell!" I shouted.

Maxwell screamed and nearly dropped his binoculars before turning to me.

"What?!" he asked.

"Just what do you think you are doing?!"

"Uhhh..."

"Forget it, you're just being a creep. Be thankful that nobody is in the pool because any girl here would give you a good smack down for doing stuff like this."

"What can I say? It keeps me..

"Stop!" I interrupted. "I don't wanna hear it! But anyway, Grace is throwing us a big dinner party tomorrow night at six, she's cooking and the rest of us are gonna help decorate."

"I will definitely be there, but decorating is not my thing" Maxwell answered.

"If you wanna come, you have to help out."

"Nah."

"Maxwell!"

"Okay I'll help!"

"Good" I replied smiling.

Without another word, I walked away from Maxwell. I honestly don't like him since he is such a huge pervert, but we all need to be friends in here in order to stand up to Bat Wing. I decided to call it quits for talking to people and headed back to my room to meet Gordon, he showed up not much later. We chilled and chatted in my room for a bit later before taking a short nap. When we woke up we we're both hungry, so we decided to head down to the cafeteria for lunch. But before we could even leave my room, we heard the intercoms click on.

"Attention students!" shouted Bat Wing. "Gym now!"


	14. Chapter 14-Next Motive

After hearing Bat Wing's announcement, I headed over to the gym as fast as I could. Everyone gathered there in no time to hear what our "principal" had to say now.

"What the hell do you want now Bat Shit?" asked Den.

"This better be important" stated Zoe sternly.

"You kids today and not having respect for your elders" replied Bat Wing. "But whatever, I have called you all hear today to deliver your next motive."

"What?!" cried Clay.

"Already!? cried Laurel.

"You can't be serious" said Gordon.

"It was a lot of fun yesterday, but I still feel it took too long to get there" replied Bat Wing. "I want another murder now, so here is you next motive."

"What is it?" I asked anxiously.

"Two days." Bat Wing answered. "If another murder doesn't happen in two days, I will kill one of you at random."

"What the hell! Can you even do that?! exclaimed Maxwell.

"You said before we were suppose to kill each other, so why are you gonna interfere?! Demanded Grace.

"Yeah! This is messed up!" cried Bradford.

"That is my point! answered Bat Wing. "I'm gonna get all you so freaked out at the chance of me killing you, that you won't take much time to kill someone yourself!"

"Animal!" cried Leah.

"Or" continued Bat Wing. "Maybe I'm lying. Like Grace said the whole point of this game is for you all to kill each other, so why would I interfere? But guess what, you won't know until everyone is still alive at two days later!

That got everyone looking real nervous.

"You're saying that if nobody kills in the next two days, you might kill one of us at random?" asked Mara.

"You got it!" answered Bat Wing. "Try not to get too nervous, dismissed!"

Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling, leaving us all standing around nervously.

"What do you guys think? asked Seth. "Was he telling truth?"

"I don't know" answered Harry.

"I believe he is just messing with us" replied Dianna.

"Yes I agree" said Bethany. "His motive is to get us to think he will kill us if another murder doesn't happen soon so that someone will commit a murder, but he wouldn't actually kill someone."

"Right" agreed Gordon. "He wants us to kill each other for his own entertainment, he wouldn't kill himself.

"Can you be so sure?" asked Zoe. "He certainly has the power to kill all of us, why wouldn't he kill someone to keep the deaths coming?"

"You're not helping Zoe!" cried Leah.

"I am only stating facts so that you fools realize this situation" Zoe replied. "We shouldn't just assume we are safe."

"But what are we suppose to do then?" asked Laurel.

"Keep a good distance from everyone for the next two days and pray you aren't chosen to be killed by Bat Wing" Zoe replied. She then left the gym.

"Wait!" cried Grace. "She left already, but I almost forgot guys. For those of you who haven't been told yet, we'll be having a big dinner party tomorrow night at six in the cafeteria!"

"Grace will make us a lot of delicious food and the rest of us can help prepare and decorate the cafeteria" I replied.

"Should be a blast!" exclaimed Clay.

"For sure!" agreed Harry.

"Sounds like a stupid ass waste of time" replied Den. "No way will I waste my time having anything to do with your stupid party." Den then walked out of the gym.

"I must agree" replied Mara. "Plus like Zoe said, keeping away from all of you gives me a better chance of not getting killed by someone pressured by the motive, but like I would be worried about that from any of you." Mara then headed out too.

"Man, what a bunch of downers." stated Bradford. "Don't expect them to be at the party."

"Or Zoe as well" replied Maxwell.

"Agreed" Bethany replied. "But I can say for sure the rest of us will attend and help prepare."

"And Maxwell, Bradford, and Seth are gonna help as well" I said glaring at those three.

They tried to protest, but angry glares from all the girls stopped that right away.

"How about you Barry?" Gordon asked. "Are you in?"

Barry looked around a bit nervously. "Sure."

"Awesome!" exclaimed Grace. Even with a few of us not coming, the rest of us can have a good time at the party and not worry about the stupid motive!"

"Right you are Grace" replied Gordon. "Shall we get to work on the preparations?"

We all headed to the storage rooms to look for decorations for the dinner party, we chose a lot of cool stuff at Grace's recommendations. We then carried it all back to the cafeteria to store until tomorrow when we would decorate. It didn't take too long, but it was still a lot of work to carry the decorations from the storage rooms to the cafeteria. After finishing, we decided to enjoy some nice pool time together. We all found some swim suites in the storage room and had a good few hours at the pool. Later on in the day/night we all ate dinner together and wrapped up chilling and talking in the game room before deciding to return to our rooms. Gordon and I walked back to my room, this time holding hands. After reaching my room, we changed and both hopped into bed. Gordon held me close as I slowly fell asleep in his arms.

"I have hope I" I thought to myself. "I have hope this motive is bull and we'll all have a nice time at the dinner party and then we'll really be united and prepared more than ever to escape."


	15. Chapter 15-Somebody Dies Again

Gordon and I woke up early the next morning and headed down to the cafeteria for a quick breakfast with everyone. After eating, everyone attending the party got to work cleaning and the decorating the cafeteria. Grace worked hard preparing all the food for dinner while the rest of us cleaned and decorated. It was nice having us all here together getting along, but I still wish Den, Zoe, and Mara were here. We finished up around lunch time and decided to take a break from all our hard work. Grace brought us out sandwiches and lemonade.

"Food!" cried Seth.

We all took some lunch and sat around enjoying several nice chats.

"Thank you very much for the wonderful lunch" said Leah.

"Agreed, you truly know how to take care of your guests" agreed Harry.

"But we're not really her guests, if anything we're Bat Wing's guests" replied Bradford.

"You know what he means man" said Gordon.

"Yes, Grace is the ultimate event planner, she always makes sure everyone has a good time" replied Laurel.

"You guys are so nice, thank you" thanked Grace happily. "I'm glad you're all having a good time."

"We sure are" I said not even feeling a bit anxious.

"The party is still at six tonight right?" asked Maxwell.

"If you been paying attention, you wouldn't need to ask Maxwell" answered Bethany. "But yes it is at six pm tonight."

"Soon it will be party time!" exclaimed Clay.

"That reminds me, I will most likely be a little late to the party tonight" said Dianna. "I need to get a somewhat normal schedule back for exercising." But it should only be a half hour late at most."

"What exercises do you do normally?" asked Barry.

"A big variety, but I think today/tonight I will spend my running up and down the bleachers" answered Dianna.

"Holy crap, I keep forgetting you talk Barry" replied a stunned Maxwell.

"Me too" said Seth.

"Lay off him guys" Gordon stated sternly.

"Yeah be nice to Barry" replied Laurel. "I think he may just be starting to open up to us."

"Yeah" Barry said a little nervously.

"Haha, but no problem at all Dianna" said Grace. "You can join the party whenever you would like. to."

"I just wish Den, Zoe, and Mara would join us so we would all be together" I said a little sadly.

"Who needs those three sticks in the mud?" asked Bradford. "They'll only ruin the party."

"Watch it Bradford!" scolded Leah. "Those three may be hard to get along with, but we all need to stick together."

"Right" agreed Harry. "The more people getting along the better."

"We all need to be together so we can overcome Bat Wing" I thought to myself.

"Anyway guys" started Grace. "Let's finish up lunch quickly to we can wrap up the preparations for the party."

We all quickly finished lunch, with Seth taking the longest as he ate more than anyone else. We wrapped up cleaning and decorating, while Grace continued with the food plans for tonight. She insisted she take care of it and we we're all good until the party which would happen in a few hours. Therefore, we all went off and did our own thing. Gordon and I took a walk around the school holding hands. We enjoyed several nice conversations, while growing more closer to each other.

Right before the party started, Gordon and I headed back to the cafeteria to help out Grace finish up any last minute work that needed to be done. When we arrived, Grace was putting what appeared to be the last of the food on the table.

"Hello Grace!" I called.

Grace turned to us. "Hi Annie, hi Gordon!"

"Did you need any last minute help?" asked Gordon.

Grace shook her head. "Nope!" Just finished actually! All we do now is wait for everyone to arrive."

Not long after, everyone except Dianna, Den, Zoe, and Mara arrived for the party. I'm still shocked that Barry actually came, but like we said before he appears to be opening up to us.

"Time to party!" exclaimed Clay.

"Let's dance!" cried Harry.

"But there isn't any music" responded Bethany.

"Don't worry guys, I gotcha covered" replied Laurel who brought out some DJ equipment from behind some tables.

"Where did you find those?" asked Leah.

"The storage room" Laurel replied as she quickly set up her equipment."

"Now it is definitely a party with the ultimate radio personality as our DJ" cried Bradford.

Laurel turned on her equipment and started playing music. Clay, Harry, and Bradford immediately started dancing. Seth wasted no time helping himself to the food, while Maxwell tried to flirt with Leah. Just as she was about to slap him, Bethany came over and joined her for a double slap. Grace stood back watching everyone, assuming to make sure we were all having a good time. Barry sat down at a table by himself, but seemed to be enjoying himself. Gordon pulled me over to the dancers and we immediately started dancing too. I think we were all pretty bad at dancing, but we were just trying to enjoy ourselves. After some dancing Gordon and I went to get some food and sat down with Grace.

"Great job Grace" I said.

"Thank you" Grace thanked.

"Everyone seems to be having a great time." Gordon stated.

"I'm so happy that is the case and we're all able to get away from this killing game for a bit" I thought to myself.

I chatted with Gordon and Grace a bit longer until something crazy happened, all the lights and music went off. We were in a silenced blackness until we all started to panic.

"Who turned out the lights?!" cried Seth. "I can't see my food!"

"Ow my foot!" cried Bradford.

I then heard something drop to the floor.

"What was that?!" cried Leah.

"Everyone try to calm down!" replied Grace.

"Probably just a circuit break!" shouted Clay.

"It was certainly something!" replied Maxwell.

"Everyone relax!" cried Laurel. "Let's just wait a bit and..

Suddenly the lights came back on and everyone was looking around in a bit of a panic.

"What happened?" asked Barry as he was walking towards my table.

"Was it Bat Wing?" asked Harry.

"I have no idea" I replied.

"Wait a minute" said Bethany. We all turned to look at her. "It is decent amount of time past 6:30pm and Dianna still hasn't arrived."

"Good point" agreed Clay. "She did say only a half hour at most."

"Well there was a black out just now" replied Gordon. "For all we know it was all over the school, including the gym."

"She might be hurt then!" exclaimed Bethany. "She may of fell running up the bleachers!"

Bethany booked it out of the cafeteria.

"Bethany!" cried Leah.

"No let her go" stated Grace. "She might be right about Dianna being hurt."

"I hope she is okay" I replied.

Suddenly I Saw something under my table. I picked it up and examined it. It was some sort of controller with a few buttons on it.

"What have you got there Annie?" asked Gordon.

Before I could answer, the intercoms clicked on.

"Attention students!" shouted Bat Wing. "Gym! Now!" The intercoms clicked off.

"Oh no!" cried Laurel.

"What could it be?" asked a nervous Maxwell.

"Dianna! Bethany!" cried Leah.

"We gotta move guys" Gordon said quickly getting up.

I put the controller in my pocket as we all quickly ran to the gym. We arrived there in what seemed like no time at all. We piled into the gym one by one to a horrifying sights. The bleachers on both sides were all collapsed into two big piles. Bethany lay on her knees by the left side.

"Bethany!" I called.

We all quickly ran over there to see what she was doing.

"What is it Bethany?" asked Harry.

"Dianna" she whispered in sadness.

We all quickly looked around the pile of bleachers to see what she was talking about, suddenly my anxiety was back when I saw her. Dianna's body was stuck underneath some bleacher, but I could tell it was her. Her bloody body lay trapped there dead.


	16. Chapter 16-2nd Investigation

My anxiety may of reached the highest level it has been during my time stuck in this school. But with very good reasons, the ultimate volleyball player Dianna Foxworth was dead. For a third time, one of us has died. For a second time, one of us had killer another. Once again we would have to investigate. Once again we would have to do the class trial. Once again either we would find the killer and they would be executed by Bat Wing or everyone who is innocent will die.

After realizing what lay before our eyes, everyone started to freak out in their own way. Bethany was trying to fight in, but tears started to pour down her face. Leah slowly walked over to her while shaking up to comfort her. Laurel had started to slowly sob, Grace pulled her aside to comfort her. Gordon quickly pulled me away and spun me around to get the sight of Dianna's dead body away from me. He then pulled me into a hug, while I just starred off anxiously. Barry slowly turned away holding himself, while Clay, Harry, Bradford, Maxwell, and Seth just starred at the crime scene in horrid.

"No way, not again" said Clay.

"This can't be happening" replied Harry.

Suddenly the gym doors opened and Den and Mara walked into the gym, Zoe coming in right after them. The three of them joined us by the crime scene.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Den.

"Oh my" replied Mara.

"I see once again one of us has turned into a killer" stated Zoe.

Suddenly Bat Wing flew down from the ceiling, starting us all.

"Right you are Zoe" said Bat Wing. Poor Dianna has been killed and left you, leaving the number of remaining students fifteenth. But on the bright side, I definitely won't be killing someone at random, haha Now like last time you will be given a file of this murder and have two hours to investigate. After two hours you will all report to the court room for the class trial to discuss who you think the killer is. Vote correctly, only the killer dies. Vote wrong, the rest of you dies."

"Yeah we got it Bat Wing, thanks" replied Gordon.

"And like last time, all of your rooms will be unlocked for the investigation" finished Bat Wing. "Good luck!"

Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling, leaving us to start the second investigation.

"Looks like we gotta get going again" said Seth.

"You're right" replied Grace. "We have to find out who did this to Dianna?"

"First up we need two people on guard duty again" stated Zoe.

"I got it again" said Den who started walking over to the body.

"And you Bethany?" asked Mara.

Bethany slowly got out of Leah's hug and walked over to Den and the body.

"I will be fine" she replied.

"Then let's move people" ordered Zoe firmly. "We got less than two hours to figure out who the killer is."

Most people ran out of the gym, probably to investigate the rooms and the cafeteria. I stayed behind in the gym with Gordon to check out the crime scene.

"I'll go check the other bleachers" said Gordon. "You okay looking at the body love?"

"Yeah I'll be fine" I answered smiling.

While Gordon ran over to the other side of the gym, I got closer to the body. There wasn't much to the crime scene, just Dianna's body stuck under the bleachers. I pulled out my phone to see the file. It said Dianna was killed at rough 6:20pm and the cause of death was crushed by an entire gym side of bleachers.

"6:20" I said out loud. "Dianna was killed during the party and before the black out."

"You are right Annie" replied Bethany who still sounded a bit sad. "After the lights came on it was at least 6:40. Which means everyone at the party has an alibi." Bethany turned to Den to glare.

"What are you looking at me for?" he asked annoyed.

"You weren't at the party Den" replied Bethany coldly. And neither was Zoe or Mara, the killer has to be one of you three."

"What?! Don't just say that!" argued Den.

"Relax guys" I said trying to break up the fight. "While it suspicious and it will be hard for them to have an alibi, just how could any of them done something like this?"

"I don't know" Bethany replied sadly.

I gave Bethany a quick hug. "I know you two were close, we'll definitely find her killer."

Gordon ran over to us and looked down at the body before shifting his eyes towards me. "Anything?"

"Not really" I replied. "We have a time of death and cause of death thanks to the file. You could say everyone at the party has an alibi, but still how could the three who didn't attend do this to Dianna?"

"I don't know" replied Gordon. "But we gotta keep looking, we should check the cafeteria."

"Okay" I replied smiling.

We said goodbye to Bethany and Den and turned to leave the gym. Though one more thing caught my attention.

"Hang on Gordon" I said.

"What is it love?" he asked.

"Go back to the other side of the gym and check the side of the bleachers for the bleacher controls. They should be behind a small door."

"Oh yeah, good idea love" replied Gordon. "I never even thought of that."

Gordon and I both ran to our side of the gym to check the controls for the bleachers. I opened the small door and I could easily tell someone had been here. All the controls looked broken and used up very much. Gordon ran back over to me and saw what I was looking at."

"Yours too I see" he stated. "It was the same for me. Someone definitely was in the gym and messed with the bleacher controls."

"But how did simply messing with them cause the death of Dianna?" I asked.

"Maybe the killer just knew what to do and snuck in here while she was exercising?" Gordon replied unsurely.

"Maybe but still to make both sides of bleachers simply collapse? I stated in response.

"Let's get to the cafeteria." said Gordon.

Gordon took my hand and we hurried over to the cafeteria. We got there pretty quickly and headed inside. Grace and Seth were both there with the latter helping himself to food."

"Seth!" I exclaimed angrily. "Why are you eating food instead of investigating?!"

"Don't bother Annie" replied Grace. "I already asked."

"I think better when I'm not hungry" Seth stated in between food bites.

"Forget him" replied Gordon. "Anything you find here Grace?"

"Nothing at all" answered Grace. "Feel free to look around, but I'm not sure anything useful will be here."

Grace, Gordon, and I spent several minutes looking around the cafeteria while Seth just ate. We didn't seem to find any clues that would help us in the class trial. The three of us sat down for a bit and then it hit me.

"Oh yeah!" I exclaimed. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the control I found right after the blackout.

"What is that?" asked Grace.

"I have no idea" I replied. "I found it under the table we were sitting at right after the lights came back on."

"I remember that now, so weird" said Gordon.

Barry walked into the cafeteria looking nervous, when we made eye contact with him he appeared even more nervous.

"Hey guys" Barry greeted.

"Hey Barry" replied Gordon.

"Hey Barry, did you find any clues?" I asked.

"Nothing yet" he replied. "I thought I would come here to check for clues."

"Weren't you already here before Barry?" asked Grace.

Barry looked embarrassed. "Yeah... I know. But I'm... a little nervous about looking in the rooms of our classmates. And... I just got back from... the gym."

"Don't sweat it man" stated Gordon. "Whatever anyone can do to help."

"Okay" Barry replied smiling.

Gordon and I said goodbye to our classmates and decided to now check the rooms upstairs. We passed several other students who were also heading to a new destination or actually interrogating Zoe and Mara who both were not at the party and suspicious due to Dianna's time of death. When Gordon and I reached the rooms, we saw Maxwell walking out of my room smiling very creepily.

"Hey!" I cried.

"You pervert!" Gordon screamed angrily.

Maxwell screamed in terror and then booked it down the hallways until he was out of sight.

"What a freak!" I exclaimed in disgust.

"We'll deal with him later" Gordon replied. Let's split up and check all of our rooms."

Gordon and I did what he just said and quickly checked all of the rooms. I made sure to be extra on the edge when searching the rooms of Dianna, Den, Zoe, and Mara. I also checked the rooms of Shauna and Troy, just incase.

After checking all of the rooms, Gordon and I met up again in the hallway.

"Anything love?" he asked.

"Nothing" I replied.

"Me either" Gordon said shaking his head. "This isn't gonna be easy."

"I know" I replied putting my head on his shoulder.

We stood like this for a bit before hearing the intercoms click on.

"Attention students!" shouted Bat Wing. "The investigation is now over! Get to the court room now!"

Gordon and I broke our pose before heading down to the court room holding hands. We got there eventually and met up with everyone else including Bat Wing.

"With the love birds here, that makes fifteen" said Bat Wing.

I turned away anxiously and Gordon looked angry, but no one seemed to paying attention to Bat Wing's comment.

"Okay gang, time to get the show on the road" said Bat Wing.

With him leading, one by the one we headed into the court room to find out who killed Dianna.


	17. Chapter 17-2nd Trial Starts

My anxiety started going off as our podiums appeared before us once again, what made it even worse was now Bat Wing added a portrait for both Troy and Dianna. We all took our places at our assigned podiums to begin the class trial. Bat Wing got in his chair

"Alright" started Bat Wing. "Real fast, here is the deal again for the class trial. You remaining students will discuss our latest murder and make your arguments for who you think the killer is. Then you will vote. If you vote correctly, then only the killer will get executed. But if you vote incorrectly, everyone else will suffer an execution and the killer will be able to leave this school. With that out of the way, begin!"

"This shouldn't be too hard right? Asked Bradford.

"How so?" asked Mara.

"Well the file said Dianna died at 6:20pm." answered Bradford. "And most of us were at the party at during that time, except for three of us."

"Den, Zoe, and Mara" stated Bethany.

"Hey!" shouted Den.

"I see" replied Zoe.

"You think the killer is someone who didn't attend the dinner party?" asked Mara.

"Well who else could it of been?" asked Maxwell. "Everyone at the party has everyone at the party as their alibi."

"I hate to agree with Maxwell, but he is right" agreed Leah. "It has to be one of you three!"

"The only question is which on" said Clay.

"Hang on guys" replied Gordon. "Yes these three are suspicious right now, but we should hear what they have to say before making a final accusation."

"He is right" stated Grace. "If two of these three or even one of them can come up with an alibi, it will make this class trial a lot more easier."

"Can any of you three prove your innocence?" I asked.

"I didn't kill anyone!" cried Den.

"Den is certainly not making himself any less suspicious" replied Seth.

"What'd you say fat boy?!" exclaimed Den.

"Break it up you two!" shouted Laurel. "Starting fights won't get us anywhere."

"Though I bet the killer doesn't want us to get anywhere" replied Harry.

"Are you accusing me Arrowhead!?" shouted Den.

"Den you need to calm down" said Leah. "Freaking out like this is only gonna make you look more suspicious."

Den looked like he was gonna yell again, but managed to calm down.

"I know I wasn't at the party" started Den. "But I'm not the killer."

"Where were you during the party?" asked Bethany.

"Just off doing my own thing" answered Den "Mainly just walking around."

"I'm sorry Den, but that isn't an alibi" replied Gordon. "Nobody can prove you weren't at the gym."

"Shut up bastard!" cried Gordon. "Accuse me one more time and.."

"Enough" Bethany quickly said. "If you are the killer who killed Dianna, you are gonna face judgement for your crimes Den."

"It wasn't me!" Den cried.

"Enough wasting time" said Mara. "Den is certainly a prime suspect, but just hearing him deny it without any evidence to back him up is a waste of our time."

"I agree" I agreed. "We can always come back to Den later, where were you during the party Mara?"

"I suppose I don't really have an alibi either, but I know for a fact I headed up to the library to ready a little before six pm and was there until Bat Wing summoned up all to the gym" answered Mara.

"What did you read?" asked Maxwell.

"Who cares about that?!" exclaimed an annoyed Bradford. "That won't be useful at all!"

"Did anyone see you Mara?" I asked.

"Not that I recall, I was alone until Bat Wing's announcement" she replied.

"Mara doesn't have an alibi either" stated Laurel.

"She was definitely more clam than Den, but either one of them could still be the killer" stated Bethany.

"Fair enough" replied Mara. "But I feel that not shouting every time someone points a finger at you is more suspicious than someone who doesn't."

"What the hell did you just say bitch?!" shouted Den.

"Stop it" Gordon demanded sternly.

"Yeah we need to focus guys" urged Harry. "We're all facing death right now."

"Let us resume then" stated Leah. "We all know both Den and Mara are still suspicious, but what about you Zoe? Can you provide us with an alibi?"

Zoe just stood there with her eyes closed and a somewhat creepy smile. Everyone stared at her.

"Hey Zoe" I started.

"I heard her you fool, just enjoying the moment before it happens" she replied.

"Huh?" asked a confused Seth. "What do you mean?"

"I'm about to to make this game a lot more interesting and intense" Zoe responded.

"I don't know what you exactly mean" replied Grace. "But anything that can help is something I would love to hear."

"I as well" agreed Bethany.

"Well here we go then" said Zoe. "I was in the library as well, reading to past the time. I believe I go there at around 5:00pm and stayed there until Bat Wing called us to the gym."

"You were in the library as well as Mara?" I asked.

"Indeed I was" replied Zoe.

"Did you see Mara there as well?" asked Grace. "If so, both Zoe and Mara would have alibis."

"Did you see Mara at all?" asked Bradford.

"I did in fact see her" responded Zoe. "It wasn't for another hour or so, but I did see Mara come into the library and sit down and read until the announcement."

"Then how come Mara didn't say she saw you?" asked Seth. "You could just be saying that to trick us into thinking you have an alibi?"

"Did you see Zoe in the library Mara?" asked Leah

"No I did not" answered Mara.

"That is because I was in a deep corner of the library trying to hide to read so I wouldn't be disturbed to join your annoying party" Zoe shot back. "It would have been hard to see me without looking a bit, but I saw Mara come in and read."

"But you can't prove that" stated Maxwell.

"Mara was reading a big purple covered book and brought a water bottle into the library with her" Zoe responded.

Mara's eyes lit up a bit. "She is right. I was reading a big purple covered book and I had a water bottle with me."

It then hit me. "I think Zoe is telling the truth about being in the library with Mara."

"But how can you be so sure?" asked Laurel.

"Most of us probably didn't notice it, but after we arrived at the gym to see Bat Wing, of course everyone at the party arrived together. But then Den and Mara arrived, with Zoe coming in just after them. I don't know where Den was, but Zoe must of just followed Mara from the library to the gym and came in shortly after her."

"She is right" replied Mara. "I did notice Zoe was right behind me when I started making my way to the gym, but I thought nothing of it."

"Well that should prove it then" stated Bethany. "Mara and Zoe were both in the library during the murder of Dianna and therefore can't be the killer. But then that would mean that.."

"Den is the killer!" interrupted Barry out of nowhere.

"Why you!" steamed an angry Den.

"He is right though!" cried Bradford. "Since both Zoe and Mara have each other as an alibi, that would make you the only one without an alibi!"

"Meaning you must be the killer!" Clay said quickly.

"I hate to just outright say it, but everything is starting to point at you Den" stated Gordon sadly.

"No! You got it wrong!" screamed Den.

"But you have no alibi" stated Laurel.

"You're the only one here without an alibi" said Bethany coldly.

"I think we can wrap up here and start voting" replied Maxwell.

"No!" cried Den.

"Hold on!" I exclaimed.

Everyone turned to look at me, which made me even more anxious.

"I know Den is the prime suspect right now and it is really looking like he is the killer, but we need to talk about this more."

"Why?!" asked Barry.

"Yeah what for Annie?" asked Harry. "Isn't it obvious Den is the killer due to lack of an alibi?"

"I'm not saying Den is innocent" I finished. "But we need to be absolutely positive before voting. Which is why I feel we need to discuss the rest of the case before we vote."

"What else do you wanna discuss?" asked Grace.

"The cause of death" I replied. "We all know Dianna was crushed under the bleachers, but that is also a big mystery. How did the bleachers collapse?

"Oh wow I didn't even think of that" replied Seth.

"Me either" agreed Maxwell.

"You dumbasses!" shouted Den. "You were gonna vote for me and you wouldn't even know how I did it?!"

"You aren't innocent yet" stated Bradford.

"I agree" replied Leah. "While I also agree with Annie that we should probably talk more about how Dianna was killed, you are still the prime suspect Den."

"Of course" said Zoe. "Even though I knew from the start Mara and I couldn't be the killer, I wasn't gonna except Den as the killer without knowing how the bleachers collapsed."

"Our lives are still on the line here" replied Gordon. "We really got no choice."

"But... are we really sure... we can't just vote for Den right now?" asked Barry.

"Why you little nerd!" screamed Den.

"Calm down Den" I replied. I then turned to Barry. "Barry I know you're worried here as we all are, but we can't vote before we have all the answers."

"Don't worry man" said Harry. "We got this!"

"Okay" replied Barry still nervous.

"Poor guy" I thought to myself. "He just wants this trial to be over with." 

"The bleachers" Clay said. "How did the killer make them collapse?"

"A good place to start would be the controls" answered Mara. "It was obvious that both sides of sets of controls had been messed with."

"I can agree with that" I said.

"But how did they mess with them? asked Maxwell.

"I think the more important question is what they did to make bleachers collapse" responded Laurel.

"Den probably snuck into the gym while Dianna was exercising on the bleachers and messed with the controls. Somehow he made them collapse on her."

"I did not you idiot!" cried Den. "How do you think I would of done that?!"

"Maxwell actually may have been right asking how the controls were messed with" I said. "If we don't know how Den would have been able to, then we can't assume he is the killer."

"Could it of been some kind of tools he just used to mess with the controls? asked Leah. "He could of simply used tools to mess up the controls and make the bleachers collapse on Dianna."

"I don't know anything about tools!" shouted Den.

"But you might be lying" stated Bethany sternly.

"I know we're stuck on how the killer messed with the controls" said Clay. "But if we can't figure it out and we don't have anything else, we might just have to take a chance with Den."

"No dumbass!" shouted Den. He then quickly calmed down. "Maybe someone used bombs to collapse the bleachers?"

"What?" asked Grace.

"Either someone found bombs in this school or someone just made some themselves, I bet some of you here are smart enough to do that" responded Den. "Yeah the killer used bombs to blow up the bleachers."

"I'm sorry Den, but there is no proof of bombs" replied Gordon.

"That argument was pitiful" snarked Bradford.

Before Den could freak out, I cut in. "Okay so we crossed off bombs as a possiblity, how else could the killer have collapsed the bleachers?"

"I got it!" exclaimed Leah. "Den is the ultimate pyro! He just simply made both sets of controls overload or whatever and caused a fire inside that collapsed the bleachers!"

"No I freaking didn't!" argued Den.

"I think that is a big possiblity" said Laurel.

"I agree as well" agreed Mara.

"Den is the killer" stated Barry.

As Den was freaking out, my anxiety started to bother me again. Everyone suspects Den and I admit he is suspicious as he is the only one without an alibi. But given how Dianna was killed, I can't accept anyone as the killer until I know how they collapsed the bleachers. If we vote incorrectly, everyone except the killer will die.


	18. Chapter 18-2nd Trial Continues

Suddenly ant anteater walked in the middle of the courtroom, everyone looked shocked at it.

"Is that an anteater?" asked Grace.

"It appears so" replied Zoe.

"Since when was there a freaking anteater in this school?" asked Bradford.

"Bat Wing?" asked Gordon.

"Don't mind him, that is just Alec. He is the ultimate anteater" responded Bat Wing.

"Ultimate anteater?" asked Clay.

"Is he now in this killing game as well?" asked Mara.

"Of course not!" responded Bat Wing. "He'll just appear up every now and then."

"Freaking weird" stated Maxwell.

We all watched Alec walk out of the courtroom and then we turned out attention back to the class trial.

"Where did we leave off?" asked Barry.

"I believe we all decided on Den being the killer" responded Seth.

"I'm not the damn killer!" shouted Den.

"But everyone else has an alibi" replied Laurel.

"No one can give their word that you couldn't of done it" stated Bethany.

"Wait!" cried Den. "I do have an alibi!"

"Do you now?" asked Harry.

"We would love to hear who it is" stated Leah.

"Both Mara and Zoe" replied Den.

"Mara and Zoe?" I responded confused.

"Let me explain" said Den. "Before Bat Wing's announcement, I was walking near the library where both Mara and Zoe were at the time. This can be proven with the fact that Mara and I arrived at the gym at the same time with Zoe coming in a little bit afterwards."

"That is true" replied Mara. "While we weren't walking together, we were near each other when walking to the gym."

"And while Den didn't appear to notice me from behind, I did see him along with Mara while I was on my way to the gym" stated Zoe.

"There you go" shot back Den.

"I'm sorry Den" said Gordon. "But that just won't cut it."

"What?!" exclaimed Den angrily. "Why not!?

"Dianna died at 6:20pm" said Leah.

"And she said she would be at the party at 6:30pm" at the lasted stated Bethany.

"Right after the blackout, Bethany noticed it was a decent amount of time after 6:30pm and Dianna still hadn't arrived" replied Harry.

"Den could of killed Dianna and then took a walk around the school and ended up near the library by the time of the announcement" said Laurel.

"Sorry Den" I started. "But since both Zoe and Mara were in the library way 6:20pm, you can't use them as an alibi for that time."

"Maybe not Zoe cause she was hidden, but Den could of seen Mara in the library after she got there and then walked around the library until the announcement was made so he would arrive with Mara to try and fool us with his pitiful excuse for an alibi" said Bradford.

"You freaking idiots!" shouted Den. "I didn't kill Dianna! I'm not the killer!"

"There he goes drawing more suspicion to himself again" said Seth.

"I'm not the killer!" repeated Den. "We still haven't decided how the killer messed with the controls for the bleachers!"

"Didn't we agree you probably made it overheat or whatever using you talent as the ultimate pyro?" responded Grace.

"That wasn't proved!" Den shot back.

"Regardless we don't have any other answers" stated Bethany sternly. "All we have is the only person without an alibi and a possible way to collapse the bleachers on Dianna."

"No!" cried Den. "Are you sure everyone at the party should be crossed off the list? Maybe someone just slipped out to kill Dianna and then returned. No one would of noticed a thing."

"I admit everyone at the party wasn't always together, but we were still pretty near by and someone was talking to someone or doing the same thing as someone" responded Gordon. "I think nearly anyone would of noticed anyone leaving or coming back into the cafeteria."

"Surely someone would of said something by now if that was the case" stated Clay.

"What about Grace?" asked Den. "It was her idea to have the stupid party! Doesn't that warrant suspicion?"

"Don't try to push it on her!" "Leah shot back. "There isn't any evidence to make Grace suspicious."

"Unlike you Fire boy" said Bradford.

"I am gonna kick your ass!" shouted Den.

"Enough!" cried Bethany. "Nobody except you Den is suspicious! Enough of your crap!"

"There has to be something else!" Den cried. "You can't pin this on me!"

"I know Den is looking like the killer right now, but I still think we should talk more" I said. "What about the blackout?"

"What about the blackout?" asked Maxwell.

"I admit it was a little odd how it only happened for a little bit" said Gordon. "And after the nights came back on was it Bethany went to check on Dianna and discovered what happened."

"I agree the blackout was odd" agreed Grace. "However as we just repeated Bethany went to check after the lights came back on, which was a decent amount of time after 6:30pm, which was the time that Dianna said she would be at the party. If she died at 6:20pm, then she was killed before the blackout even happened."

"How did the blackout even happen?" asked Harry.

"Does it matter if it has nothing to do with this case?" replied Seth.

"Allow me to answer that" stated Bat Wing.

We all turned to look at him.

"The main generator just overloaded and caused a temporary blackout, but that is all" he replied.

"I see" said Leah. "The blackout has nothing to do with Dianna's murder, it was all a simple overload."

"Which means we shouldn't focus on the blackout as opposed to the fact that Den... is the killer" stated Barry.

"Well Den?" asked Clay.

"Damn it!" shouted Den. "Are we still sure no one at the party could of done something?"

"I pretty sure all of our rooms were investigated by several people and no evidence was found" answered Zoe.

"Yeah I checked a lot of the rooms" stated Maxwell.

"You just wanted to go in the girls' rooms!" accused Laurel.

"Pervert!" cried Bethany.

"Maxwell you are a dead man after this trial" joked Bradford.

"Him, me, and everyone else who isn't the killer will be dead after this trial if you vote for me!" exclaimed Den.

"I'm sorry again Den" Gordon started with. "But we talked and talked and the only answer we have is you being the killer."

"Even though we may not of fully discovered how you collapsed the bleachers" replied Zoe. "You are the only person that can be thought of."

"It couldn't of been anyone but you" stated Mara.

"I think we should get to voting now" replied Clay.

"Den" said Bethany coldly. "You will face justice for what you did to my friend."

"NO! STOP!" shouted Den.

I started to get anxious again, but I knew I had to think fast. I'm still not convinced fully that Den is the killer. And if everyone else voted for him when he isn't, everyone but the killer will die! I had the controller I found during the party in my pocket, but I postponed pulling it out until I knew where it could of come from. But with nothing else left to talk about, the controller was all we had. But if I brought it out and we couldn't discover the origins of it, Den would still be voted for. I had to think fast. I thought hard and went back to everything that could of worked as a clue. Anything at all can help now. I didn't have much time before everyone agreed just to vote for Den, but... I think I got it. I know who killed Dianna!


	19. Chapter 19-And the 2nd Killer is

"Everyone stop!" I cried, which attracted the attention of everyone in the court room.

"What is it love?" asked Gordon who appeared concerned.

"I know who the killer is and it isn't Den" I stated.

That comment made most people gasp in shock.

"You know someone else who could be the killer?" asked Harry.

"Who would that be then?" asked Bethany.

I froze for a bit as I got anxious, but I know I had to do this.

"Don't waste our time demanded Zoe. "Say who you think the killer is and be prepared to explain yourself on why we should believe you."

"Could it really be someone other than Den?" asked Laurel.

"Come on Annie! Out with it!" pleaded Den.

"Barry" I started with. "I believe Barry is the killer"

"What?!" cried Grace.

"You think Barry killed Dianna!?" exclaimed Bradford.

"No way!" shouted Seth.

"What?" asked Barry. "Annie... how can you say... I'm the killer?"

"You better back what you have to say" demanded Maxwell.

"She's cried!" cried Den. "I said before he was the school shooter type and he is a freaking engineer! He could figured out how to collapse the bleachers by messing with the controls!"

"Hold it" demanded Clay. "Barry was at the party at the time of Dianna's death, how can he be the killer?"

"You're gonna need more" stated Mara.

"I'm sorry love" said Gordon. "But how can you think it was Barry of all people?"

"Let me explain" I responded. "First off we still have yet to determine what the killer did to the bleacher controls to make them collapse."

"But we said Den set fire to them or whatever and.." countered Maxwell.

"That was never proven!" shouted Den. "You bastard idiots only decided that was gonna be your answer!"

"Den you need to calm down" stated Leah firmly.

"Yes please calm down" agreed Grace.

"Fine!" Den shot back. "Annie... please continue."

"As I was saying" I continued. "I believed Barry used his talent as the ultimate engineer to engineer a way to collapse the bleachers.

"Can you do that Barry?" asked Harry.

"I..." started Barry.

"Even if he has the talent to do it, do you have proof it was Barry?" asked Bethany.

"I believe I do" I confirmed.

I pulled the controller I found at the party out of my pocket.

"What is that?" asked Mara.

"Some kind of controller?" guessed Clay.

"You are right Clay" I responded. "I found this controller on the floor during the party right after the blackout ended."

"But how does it relate to Barry?" asked Bradford.

"We need to confirm how the killer collapsed the bleachers" I responded. "Right now my guess is Barry used his talent to create this controller by messing with the bleacher controls"

"I guess it could make sense" replied Seth. "But is it enough to convict Barry?"

"When I picked up the controller, Barry was walking by the table I was sitting at with Gordon and Grace" I replied. "I also think he had it out before the blackout and dropped it when the lights went out. There was a noise that of what I believe is that."

"I did hear a noise that I could believe was that controller hitting the floor" realized Leah.

"I did too" agreed Laurel.

"I did see Barry walk by our table after the blackout" stated Grace.

"I did too" agreed Gordon.

"But... guys" said Barry who was starting to get nervous.

"You were at the party Barry" I continued. "Which gave you an alibi cause nobody would suspect anyone at the party could of killed Dianna and you knew that as well."

"No!" cried Barry.

"I may have been the only one to notice him during the party, but Barry just sat down at a table not really doing anything. But I believe he was using his controller to collapse the bleachers and kill Dianna!"

"I couldn't see the controller, but I did notice Barry was just sitting there" agreed Grace.

"I saw him too, but he always just keeps to himself, so of course no one would think he was suspicious" stated Bradford.

"Barry probably knew that as well" I agreed. "With the way he has been so far when we're all together, he normally just keeps to himself and never talks to anyone. Isn't that right Barry?"

"Please!" cried Barry. "You.. have it all wrong!"

"But how would Barry know Dianna would be exercising on the bleachers?" asked Harry.

"If you remember during lunch today, Dianna said she would be late to the party as she would be working out in the gym."

"And Barry asked her what exercise she does?" exclaimed Leah.

"And her answer was running up and down the bleachers" stated Clay.

"I wasn't there, but I could shady crap on Barry actually being the one to ask someone a question!" yelled Den. "He must of picked Dianna as his person to kill and asked her what exercise she would be doing in the gym before the party!"

"He actually knows how to think" stated Zoe.

"Shut up bitch!" yelled Den.

"Enough" demanded Mara. "But it looks like Barry is actually suspicious."

"Barry" said Gordon who appeared shocked. "Was it really you?"

"You better tell the truth!" demanded Bethany.

"I... I.." Barry tried to say.

"I don't know when Barry made the controller" I continued. "I'm sure with his talent he could of did whatever he needed to do in the gym before Dianna came to exercising."

"Maybe he did all that during the night and was just waiting for a chance to kill someone!" suggested Maxwell.

"I agree" agreed Bradford. "The guy must of got spooked by Bat Wing's motive. He was scared he might be killed, so he thought of a quick way to kill someone."

"Barry" Laurel said sadly. "How could you? You seemed to be opening up to us."

"But.. I didn't..." responded Barry.

"Bullshit!" shouted Den.

"I didn't kill her!" Barry shot back. "It was Den!"

"No" I disagreed. "The only reason Den was suspicious was because he was the only one without an alibi. There is way more evidence that points to you as the killer. Think about it Barry. We still can't confirm Den could of used his talent to mess with the bleacher controls. Also if he was the killer and planned this murder, he would of known he didn't have an alibi and would be an immediate suspect with him being one of the only three people at the party, even if he didn't know that Zoe and Mara had each other as an alibi. It doesn't make enough sense to pin this on Den as opposed to all the signs that point towards you."

"No!" shouted Barry.

"You thought of everything didn't you Barry" I continued. "That no one would suspect you, that your alibi was everyone at the party, that no one would think the killer killed Dianna from the party, that no one would find your controller."

"I.." Barry tried to say.

"Too bad about that blackout and it making you drop your controller for me to discover" I continued. "We probably would never of even suspected you if I didn't find it."

Barry struggled to say something, but couldn't find any comebacks.

"You killed her Barry!" I stated. "You killed Dianna!"

Barry just stood there shaking.

"I believe we are done here" said Bethany.

"Yeah" Harry agreed. "We should vote now."

"Bat Wing! shouted Seth.

"Roger!" responded Bat Wing.

The screens came down to us just like last time with the option to vote for someone as the killer.

"Hit the person who you think the killer is!" demanded Bat Wing.

We all voted, Barry was still shaking.

"The votes are in!" said Bat Wing. "This time you have voted for Barry Wolf, the ultimate engineer. Right again!"

"No freaking way!" cried Bradford. "Barry actually killed Dianna?! 

"Why Barry?" asked Grace.

"You bastard!" screamed Den.

"Talk now Barry!" demanded Bethany.

"I..." started Barry. "I was scared! The motive just got to me! The thought of being killed by Bat Wing if someone didn't kill someone else, it just got to me! I didn't want to die!"

"Barry" I said with pity.

"And... I just been scared this whole time!" Barry continued. "I wanted to go home! It was too much! I had to get out of here!"

"You selfish..." Bethany responded. "We're all scared here."

"Bethany is right!" cried Leah. "You're not the only one stuck in this stupid school! We're all in this situation.

"As I mentioned before" replied Zoe. "Being in this kind of situation is bound to make people snap and do desperate things to escape, Barry is our second example here."

"Why Dianna though?" asked Gordon.

"I.. just needed to think of a quick way to kill someone answered Barry. "The first place I thought of was the gym and making the bleachers collapse. The night of hearing the motive, I went to the gym to create the controller Annie found."

"But how did you know what set of bleachers she would be running on?" asked Maxwell.

"Idiot" responded Mara. "He made them both collapse just to make sure or did you forget the scene in the gym?"

"Hey!" cried Maxwell.

"I didn't specifically target Dianna, I just knew there were a few athletes among us who would use the gym regularly to exercise. It was... good timing that Dianna planned to be in the gym at the start of the party."

"Glad I haven't been using the gym much" said Bradford.

"Bastard" stated Bethany.

"I'm... I'm... sorry" said Barry.

Barry dropped to his knees and hung his head in shame, we all just looked at him in silence.

"Boring!" said Bat Wing out of nowhere. "If you're all done, I think we know what is up next!"

"No!" I pleaded. "Please don't kill him!"

"You can't!" agreed Grace.

"Don't you touch him!" demanded Gordon.

Bat Wing just smiled at us before flying up to the ceiling. And like before a hole in the wall opened up again and a chain came flying out of it. It wrapped around Barry's neck and pulled him into the hole before it closed.

"Barry!" most of us cried.

The giant monitor came down to us again making us even more freaked out.

"Here we go again" said Zoe.

"I can't take this!" cried Laurel.

"I don't wanna watch this again" agreed Clay.

The screen turned on to reveal Barry was in a giant box full of wires, cables, plugs, etc. He just lay in the box breathing heavily.

"Barry!" shouted Harry.

"This isn't good" said Seth.

Suddenly Bat Wing walked over to the box and pulled one of the plugs out. This resulted in Barry to be extremely electrocuted inside. He screamed in pain as his body was probably consumed with bolts.

"Oh my god!" yelled Den.

"How disturbing" stated Mara.

"No way!" cried Maxwell.

After several moments of Barry screaming in pain, he just stopped moving and the electricity disappeared. The screen went blank and what we had just seen left us all in a panic. Laurel was bawling her eyes out as both Grace and Leah tried to comfort here, even though they were both close to tears. Clay had started puking while Harry went over to check on him. Bethany just stood there with her eyes closed. Maxwell and Seth had both fallen on the ground in a panic, while Bradford seemed to be paralyzed in fear. Den balled his fists like he was gonna punch something, while Mara simply walked away a bit. Zoe just looked bored. Gordon pulled me into a hug as I started to sob a bit.

"It's okay love" Gordon said quietly. "I'm here"

"Thank you Gordon" I replied as I continued to sob.

Bat Wing flew back down to us.

"With Barry fried, we are down to fourteen ultimate students!" he said.

"You're insane!" cried Seth.

"And sick and twisted!" agreed Grace. "Why are you doing this to us?!"

"What do you want from us!?" demanded Den.

"Hahaha, only to see who will be left standing in the end" Bat Wing replied.

Suddenly he flew up to the ceiling, leaving us all still in panic.

What are we gonna do now?" asked Maxwell.

"What can we do to get out of here?" asked a still crying Laurel.

"For now, she should clear the court room" suggested Mara.

"Agreed" agreed Zoe. "We should discuss our next step after we leave.

Still in despair over the last few few hours, we all left the court room.


	20. Chapter 20-A Talk

One by one we all exited the court room and stood around the hall in despair after what we had just gone through.

"I can't believe it was Barry" said Harry. "I never thought he would kill someone.

"And to go through all that planning" replied Mara. "It was quite sinister."

"He's gone" stated Laurel. "We keep dropping like flies."

"Easy Laurel" replied Leah. "You need to calm down. We all do."

"Leah is right" agreed Gordon. "We all gotta pull ourselves back up."

"I don't even know what to think right now" replied Seth.

"Me either" agreed Maxwell. "This is too heavy for me."

"Please guys" I pleaded. "We have to get through this."

"Don't bother" said Zoe out of nowhere.

Most of us turned to look at her.

"What are you suggesting?" asked Bethany.

"Don't waste your breath trying to lighten up anyone's spirit, it is just a waste of time" replied Zoe.

"What are you even saying?" asked Clay.

"Don't you know by now cooperating with each other won't save us?" answered Zoe. "Two times now someone has killed someone and tried to sacrifice the rest of us to save themselves for their own reasons."

"We can't give up though!" I argued. "We need to have hope and stay strong."

"Don't get it confused, I am not worried whatsoever" Zoe shot back. "But hearing all this ridiculous talk of teamwork annoys me."

"You are one twisted chick" replied Bradford.

"Think what you want of me, in the end I will be the one to walk out of this school alive" finished Zoe.

Zoe then started walking away from the rest of us as we just watched her leave.

"What a bitch" said Maxwell.

"Hey!" cried Leah. "She may saying the wrong things, but you never disrespect a female like that!"

"You forgot it was Maxwell" replied Grace.

"Hey!" shouted Maxwell.

"Shut up!" shouted Den.

We all turned to look in Den's direction, his face was filled with anger.

"You freaking idiots!" Den cried. "If it wasn't for Annie, your stupid asses would have voted for me and well all would have been dead, while the crazy bastard Barry would be walking out of here alive!"

"Den you seriously need to calm down" Gordon replied. "Now is not the time for this."

"No freaking way am I letting you dumbasses off easily!" roared Den.

"You better back off" shot back Bethany.

"Look man" started Bradford. "You were the only option we had."

"Can you blame us?!" cried Laurel. "Even if we couldn't of proved how you collapsed the bleachers, something was better than nothing!"

"And you decided to just scapegoat me!" responded Den.

"Please Den" pleaded Grace.

"Fuck you assholes!" cried Den.

Den then walked away from the rest of us.

"What a dick" stated Seth.

"I guess he has a right to be angry" responded Harry. "But he has to understand the situation."

"You're right Harry" agreed Leah. "All he pretty much had at the time was Den not having an alibi, which of course made him the prime suspect."

"Thank God for Annie" replied Gordon. "Well I guess also thank God for that blackout and Barry dropping his controller, then for Annie picking it up and figuring out the rest for us."

"You really did save the day for us Annie" agreed Clay.

"Thanks guys" I said blushing.

"We're also fortunate you noticed Troy with two phones and pretty much solving the case for the trial trial as well" agreed Bethany.

"You're definitely a hero" stated Bradford.

"You guys are too kind" I replied.

"That will be an issue down the road" said Mara.

"What do you mean?" asked Maxwell.

"Pretty simple" Mara replied. "Someone will target someone who is too kind and use that to their advantage when they kill them."

After saying her piece, Mara also left. We all watched her leave.

"The usual suspects may still have attitude problems" started Clay. "But we should probably call it a night."

"Agreed" agreed Grace. "This has been a long day for all of us, but I will make us all a nice breakfast tomorrow morning."

"I can sleep well tonight knowing that" replied Leah.

"Me too!" agreed Seth.

With that, we all headed for our rooms to get some sleep. Gordon pulled me close as we walked back to my room, I felt so much safer. We headed into my room when we got there, by this point Gordon has been pretty much living in my room with me, so his stuff was in my room. We quickly changed and did the usual nighttime routines before hopping into bed, Gordon pulled me close.

"How are you doing love?" he asked.

"Better I guess" I replied.

"Anything on your mind right now?"

"Just some leftover anxiety of today, but mainly now what left we can do to get out of here."

"I see, we'll have to talk with the others about it."

"If that can happen, our group is falling apart."

"I know love, but we have to keep hope strong."

Gordon and I didn't say anything for a bit, but then he got even closer to me and kissed the back of my head. I turned around to face him and we shared a kiss before falling asleep in each other's arms.


	21. Chapter 21-Desperate Meeting

Gordon and I woke up late the following morning, we quickly got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast, as we reached the cafeteria we saw Den walking out. I tried to talk to him, but he ignored me and walked away.

"Don't worry about him love" said Gordon. "He must still be in a bad mood from the trial last night.

"Right" I replied.

Gordon and I walked into the cafeteria to see Grace wrapping up on clearing the tables.

"Good morning Annie, good morning Gordon" she greeted.

"Good morning Grace" Gordon and I both returned the greeting.

"It is a little late and everyone already came and ate, I'm just wrapping up cleaning up, but I can quickly bring you guys some leftovers."

"That would be very nice, thank you Grace" I replied.

"Yes thank you" thanked Gordon.

Grace quickly brought Gordon and I some leftovers and we quickly ate while she finished up cleaning. After we finished eating, we joined Grace in the last bits of the dishes.

"Thank you again Grace" I thanked while smiling.

"It really is my pleasure" Grace replied. "I'm just happy you two enjoyed yourself."

"As expected from the ultimate event planner" Gordon laughed.

"By the way" Grace continued. "We're having a meeting in the lounge at noon. Leah is the only who thought of the idea and wanted me to let people know when they came down for breakfast."

"Leah wants to have a meeting?" I asked. "I wonder what for?"

"To decide what our next movie is" Grace replied.

"For getting out of here?" asked Gordon.

"That is correct" Grace answered.

Gordon, Grace, and I finished the dishes and left the cafeteria. Grace went off on her own, while Gordon and I took a walk around the school holding hands. We ended up in the courtyard and decided to sit outside for a bit. We sat down and Gordon put his arm around me.

"So love" started Gordon.

"Yes?" I answered happily.

"As of last night, are we officially together?"

I smiled at Gordon. "Of course we are."

We leaned in for each other to enjoy a kiss. During this moment, I felt like all my anxiety was gone and would never return. That even when I was stuck in this horrible killing game with no way being discovered, I was gonna be safe as long as Gordon was there to protect me. We broke the kiss and just stared happily into each other's eyes. It seemed like this moment would just be full of happiness forever. Until of course Gordon noticed something and turned to the direction angrily. I did the same and saw Maxwell watching us from inside moving his hand up and down like he was jerking off.

"That damn pervert!" Gordon shouted.

He got up and sprinted towards the door. Maxwell quickly got scared and ran away from the courtyard window with Gordon quickly chasing him once he made it back inside. I waited for a few minutes until Gordon came walking back to the courtyard out of breath.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The perv got away, but I'll definitely get him at the meeting when I see him" Gordon answered.

I laughed. "That guy should be the ultimate pervert instead of the ultimate fisher."

"You're probably right" Gordon agreed laughing.

We cuddled and chatted in the courtyard a little longer as it got closer to the meeting. We then left the courtyard holding hands and headed to the lounge. When we arrived, everyone except Den was already there. Gordon saw Maxwell and shot him a death glare. Maxwell yelped and hid behind Seth.

"What did you do now Maxwell?" asked Bradford.

"If Gordon and Annie aren't gonna answer, then he probably shouldn't either" Bethany replied threateningly.

"Just being himself" replied Gordon.

"Enough time wasting" said Zoe. "Are we gonna start or what?" 

"Everyone isn't here yet" replied Leah. "Den is still missing."

"You really think he'll show up?" asked Mara.

Suddenly as if he were waiting, Den walked into the lounge. Everyone watched as he headed off to lean in the corner.

"Looks like we are all present" said Harry.

"Then let us begin" replied Leah. "Look guys, we really need to figure out what we're gonna do here. We need to find a way out before another murder happens."

"I agree" I agreed while getting a little anxious. "We have to act fast before the feeling of despair from another murder haunts us again."

"I don't get the bad vibe you're all talking about" Den replied. "That school shooter Barry may be dead, but it isn't like the atmosphere will be any different from him not walking around."

"Den!" cried Grace.

"That is a horrible thing to say!" I agreed.

"He does have a point though" responded Zoe. "From what I recall, no one even talked to him majority of the time. I think it is safe to say his death won't affect us."

"That is so messed up!" Leah shot back. "How can you two say crap like that!?"

"Easily" replied Den.

"We should stay on track guys" Gordon cut in. "We gotta focus here."

"I agree with Gordon" agreed Harry. "I gotta ask though, why hasn't anyone come from us?"

"What do you mean?" asked Seth.

"Well why isn't anyone looking for us?" replied Harry. "We been trapped in this school for a few days now, so you would think the police and our families would be looking everywhere for us."

"And the school we were all suppose to attend would certainly be a good place to check for clues" continued Gordon.

"And if they checked this school, they would of noticed something was up and broke in and rescued us" finished Leah.

"That is true" said Bethany. "But something is definitely up as none of that has happened yet."

"I'm still curious at what happened to this school to make the situation we're in possible" stated Mara.

"Bat Wing, the exits being blocked off, no staff or other students, us being kidnapped and trapped here, the person or people responsible for all this" I listed. "Just too many questions that we have absolutely zero ideas on how to answer them."

"My head hurts just thinking about it" said Seth.

"Don't think too hard on it you fools" replied Zoe. "You all know how to get out of here."

"What.. how?" I asked.

"Kill someone and deceive the rest at the class trial" answered Zoe.

"Hey!" exclaimed Gordon.

"You better stop talking like that Zoe or we're gonna have some serious problems here" Bethany said angrily.

"Meh, like any of you idiots are innocent either after you tried to pin the last murder on me" Den replied.

"Den you need to let it go" said Harry.

"Whatever, I'm out of here" replied Den.

"I think I'll take my leave as well" agreed Mara.

"I knew this would be a waste of time" said Zoe.

"Hey wait!" cried Leah.

Den, Mara, and Zoe all headed out of the lounge as the rest of us watched them leave.

"No wonder those three were suspicious during the last trial" said Bradford.

"They are for sure still quite anti social" agreed Grace.

"Whatever, we should get back to the meeting" cut in Leah.

The meeting lasted a little bit longer, but nothing appeared accomplished. No one had any idea what to do next or anything else that could help us with our situation. My anxiety came back as I started to slowly realize we were out of hope.


	22. Chapter 22-Wrapping Up First Talks

After the meeting, everyone went off to do their own thing as usual. Gordon and I sat in the lounge a bit longer to talk.

"How are you feeling love?" asked Gordon.

"Pretty anxious, but I'm hanging in there" I replied.

Gordon pulled me closer to him and held me even tighter.

"We can't give up and we can't give in to Bat Wing" Gordon whispered.

"You're right" I agreed. "We gotta stay strong and somehow keep hope alive." 

"We should continue what we were doing before."

"You mean getting to know everyone?"

"Right"

Gordon quickly pulled himself and I up.

"We'll have to go it alone from here, but we'll meet back in the courtyard in let's say an hour" he said.

I smiled at him. "Sounds like a plan."

Gordon gave me a quick hug and kiss and then quickly left the lounge to attempt to bring some commendatory between our fellow students. I smiled as he left before heading out myself. I walked around the school for a bit until I found Bradford going for a jog through the hallway near the gym. He stopped when he saw me and then walked over to me.

"Hey there Annie" he greeted. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine thank you" I replied. "And how are you doing?'

"Honestly, normally I would be super pumped to be jogging and knowing I was keeping up the shape of my beautiful figure, but I been pretty down recently with all that has been happening.

"I see, yeah I'm scared myself.

"Hey now Annie, don't twist my words. I never said I was scared, only a little down. And even if I'm a little down, I can shoot back up to victory!"

"Uhhh..." I replied trying to think of a response.

"Well good chatting with you Annie, but I gotta keep up my jog so I stay fit!"

Bradford waved goodbye and jogged past me down the hall. I watched him until he was out of sight.

"Bradford may not be a bad guy" I thought to myself. "But he is definitely very cocky and seems to be stuck in his own little world."

I continued to walk around the school for more people to chat with. When I reached the hallway of our rooms, I saw Laurel walking out of her room.

"Hi Laurel!" I called to her.

"Hey Annie, what is up?" she returned the greeting.

"Just wanting to talk to everyone, so we are all united and getting along."

"Good idea, I like it" Laurel replied smiling.

"So" I continued. "How are you feeling?"

Laurel started to look a little down. "Trust me, it isn't in the personality of the ultimate radio personality to be upset and scared. But I just can't help it after everything that has happened so far."

"I know how you feel, nobody should have to go through all of this."

"I think the thing that worries me the most is how long we'll be here for. Will it be until someone comes to save us? Or will we all eventually die either by murder or by Bat Wing after being discovered in the class trial?"

"Hopefully it will be when someone saves us" I said trying to cheer her up. "Nobody else will die here."

"Thank you for trying to cheer me up Annie, but I sure hope you're right."

Laurel waved to me before heading back into her room. I guess she has been one of the few to be affected by all of this the most. Still it was nice to chat with Laurel, she truly is a nice girl and it can make you happy to see her in he normal full of energy mood. I kept walking until I reached the library. I walked in and saw Mara sitting at a chair reading a book, she looked up when I walked in.

"Hi Mara" I greeted.

"Good day Annie, what is it that you need from me?" she replied.

"Oh I don't need anything, I just wanted to talk with everyone so we'd all be friends. But I can see you're busy.."

"Normally I would of told you to beat it" Mara interrupted. "But since you weren't trying to be a bother, I suppose we can talk for a bit."

"Thanks" I replied nervously.

"What would you like to discuss?"

"I suppose, how you're feeling after all that has happened so far."

Mara smiled. "I have no feelings about this situation."

"Huh?" I responded confused.

"You have to understand Annie, I always look for new ways to succeed as the ultimate entrepreneur. This killing game is no different to me."

"What exactly are you saying Mara?

Mare continued to smile at me. "I think you know what I mean very much Annie."

Feeling disturbed and even more anxious, I said goodbye to Mara and quickly left the library. Mara isn't exactly a bitch like Zoe is, but she can be just as dark and cold if she wants to.


	23. Chapter 23-Final Talks and Announcement

I continued my walk until I ended up running into Leah sitting at a table in the cafeteria. She was enjoying a salad and glass of water. I walked in to talk to her.

"Hi Leah!" I called.

Leah turned to look at me and smiled.

"Hello Annie" she returned the greeting.

"How have you been holding up?"

"It definitely has been hard, but I feel that I'm still hanging in there."

"I see, that's good"

"Indeed" she replied smiling again. "However I can't deny the fact that one of the guys may kill again."

"What do you mean one of the guys?" I asked confused.

"Well so far both murder victims have been women, with the two murderers being guys."

"I suppose that is a fact, but I don't think the guys are the only ones capable of killing someone."

"Den obliviously would kill someone. And I wouldn't put it past Bradford, Maxwell, and Seth. Harry, Clay, and Gordon are the least likely I admit, but still have the potential."

"I see" I replied somewhat annoyed and angry she was deciding the guys would kill just because of the first two murders, especially at the fact of mentioning Gordon.

"I would just be careful Annie" Leah continued. "I try to stay positive, but we just can't deny the possibility of another murder happening."

"I see" I replied. "Well I'll keep that in mind, enjoy your lunch Leah."

"Thank you I will" she replied returning to her lunch.

I quickly left the cafeteria and started walking again. Leah definitely means well and her heart is in the right place, but she is wrong about only guys being capable of murder. Herself, Bethany, Grace, Laurel, Zoe, Mara, and myself could easily kill someone if they tried.

"Although I know I would never think about killing someone, even though I am capable" I thought to myself. "And of course Zoe and Mara are definitely the two women I believe would kill someone if I had to pick out of the women."

I continued my walk until I ended up near the courtroom. Den was leaning against the wall and appeared to be thinking to himself. He turned up when I approached him.

"Hi Den" I greeted smiling at him.

"Go away" Den replied coldly.

Even though I shouldn't be surprised, I was a bit taken back. "Excuse me?"

"Go away and leave me alone."

"Den why do you always have to have an attitude problem?"

"Shut up and go away."

"Den please, I get why you're angry at everyone from the last trial. But please remember, I was the one to draw suspicion away from you when I realized the truth."

Den thought for a bit before turning to me again. "Yeah I suppose you really did help me out."

"It wasn't a problem at all, I couldn't let everyone else die."

Den grew cold again. "Don't worry about those idiots Annie, worrying about them will only make you lose sight of the one thing what really matters, getting out of this hellhole alive."

"What are you trying to say Den?" I asked.

"Isn't it simple? Don't care about others, only yourself. You think those first two bastards that killed were thinking of us when they committed murder?"

I couldn't think of a response to that and just grew anxious.

"I'm only giving you advice Annie, don't let someone else be your downfall."

After that, Den started walking away.

"Poor guy" I thought to myself. "I really wanna know what kind of life he had and what exactly happened to make him like this. There is no surprise he has had issues before this killing game."

After checking the time on my phone, I realized it has almost been an hour since Gordon and I split. I quickly hurried back to the courtyard to meet him. He was already there waiting for me when I arrived. We spent some more time together there before continuing the day. We had such a good rest of the day going for a swim in the pool, playing games in the game room, eating a good dinner made by Grace, and just enjoying talking to and spending time with each other. As the day turned into night, we returned to my room to call it a day. We slept well into the night in each other's arms. However, we were woken up real early the next morning by Bat Wing over the intercoms.

"Student! Gym! Now!" the intercoms clicked off.

Gordon and I both nearly feel out of bed.

"What the hell does he want now?" Gordon asked very annoyed.

"Only one way to find out" I replied.

Gordon and I quickly changed before exiting my room to join the other students in the hall on their way to the gym to see what Bat Wing wanted.


	24. Chapter 24-Next Motive Is?

As my anxiety grew, we all poured into the gym to see Bat Wing. He was there waiting for us when we arrived.

"What the hell do you want now?" asked Bradford.

"I think it will be easy to figure out" replied Seth.

"I'm glad you asked." said Bat Wing. "I know we just wrapped up the last trial here, but I'm bored again!"

"Oh no" said Laurel nervously.

"You don't mean.." replied Clay.

"You have our next motive" finished Zoe.

"You got it!" exclaimed Bat Wing. "Are you guys ready to hear your next motive?"

"Not really" replied Maxwell.

"Well too bad!" responded Bat Wing. "Here we go!"

"Oh no!" I thought to myself. "What will he do that could make someone kill?!"

"Here is the idea!" started Bat Wing. "The next person that kills someone, if they aren't discovered after the next class trial, not only will they get to walk out of this school alive, but they may also pick one fellow student to leave with them.

"Come again?" asked Harry.

"You mean if we vote wrong, the killer gets to chose someone else who won't die?" asked Grace.

"You got it!" replied Bat Wing.

"I see" said Mara.

"Just what are you trying to pull?!" demanded Leah.

"Another murder to happen, what else would it be?!" replied Bat Wing.

"How much more do you plan to make us suffer?" asked Gordon.

"Probably a lot more" answered Bethany.

"It won't work!" I cried. "Your motives aren't gonna work anymore!"

"I wouldn't say that yet" replied Den.

I turned to him. "What!?

"In fact, this would be the perfect motive for you and Gordon" Den continued.

"What are you trying to say Den?" Gordon asked a little angrily.

"Isn't it obvious?" replied Zoe. "We all know you two have been an item now for sometime, we all could tell that is the case."

"But.." I tried to say.

"Shut up" demanded Zoe. "If one of you two were to kill someone and deceived the rest of us at the class trial, of course you both would chose the other to join you in escaping.

"Also if that is the motive, then this would be the one time it would make sense two people teamed up to commit a murder" finished Mara.

"They would both be able to leave the school!" realized Bradford.

"Even with only one killer!" continued Seth.

"Stop it!" I cried. "Gordon and I would never do that!"

"Yeah right" shot back Maxwell.

"At first glance, nobody probably thought Troy or Barry would kill one of us" stated Zoe.

"But given the right motivation, they did" replied Den.

"No one here is immune from motivation" said Mara.

"Enough!" shouted Gordon. "You all need to back off from us!"

"Yeah!" agreed Laurel. "We can't be doubting each other now!"

"This is exactly what Bat Wing wants us to do" said Harry.

"You fools" replied Zoe.

"Everyone stop!" I cried. "Please just stop fighting.

I started to cry, Gordon immediately ran over to comfort me. He pulled me into a hug and I cried on his shoulder

"Seriously guys, stop it" said Gordon.

"Whatever" Den replied as he started to leave.

"You have all been warned." replied Zoe who also left.

"I'm out of here" said Mara as she left.

Maxwell, Seth, and Bradford also left quickly, but without saying anything. Everyone else stayed behind in the gym.

"Looks like you're almost split down the middle of this opinion" laughed Bat Wing as he flew up to the ceiling disappearing.

"We have to stay strong" said Bethany.

"Right" agreed Clay. "We can't be doubting each other now."

"Don't worry Annie and Gordon" finished Grace. No one really thinks either of you would commit a murder due to the motive."

I stopped crying and looked around at everyone in the room. Even with those words, I felt mainly doubt. Everyone then left the gym and went off on their own. Gordon and I walked to the cafeteria holding hands.

"Are you worried love?" asked Gordon.

"I am" I answered. "I know a lot of the others think one of us would kill next."

"I know love, but we have to keep hope alive" Gordon replied smiling at me.

I smiled back at him as we continued our walk to the cafeteria for breakfast. We quickly ate and then decided to spend some more time in the courtyard. As we sat down and I rested my head on his shoulder and he kept his arm around me, I couldn't help but feel hopeful. As long as Gordon stays by my side, I know I'll be alright.


	25. Chapter 25-Bodies Keep Piling Up

As Gordon and I spent some more time together in the courtyard, we eventually noticed we were being watched. At first we saw Maxwell watching us through the window again, which normally we would just assume he was being the usual pervert he normally is. But we also saw he was joined by Bradford and Seth, so we both were a bit worried. Bradford got up and headed to talk to them, but hey came outside first.

"What do you guys want?" Gordon asked angrily.

"Nothing" replied Seth.

"Then why were you spying on us?" I asked.

"What do you think?" replied Maxwell. "We're making sure you two aren't planning the next murder."

"What!?" exclaimed Gordon.

"How can you say that?!" I asked upset and anxiously.

"Sorry, but you really can't blame us" replied Bradford. "You two are really the only ones who this motive would work on."

"That doesn't mean we are gonna kill or that anyone else wouldn't kill now!" shot back Gordon.

"Fair enough, but this is the way it is gonna be from now one" replied Seth.

"Just trying to prevent another murder" stated Maxwell.

"Get out of here you bastards!" demanded Gordon.

"Easy there Gordon" replied Bradford. "We're not trying to start any trouble, but we aren't gonna let another murder happen by the least likely candidates."

The three guys then left the courtyard and headed back inside. But only Bradford and Seth walked away, Maxwell appeared to hang around watching Gordon and I.

"He isn't just being a pervert" stated Gordon. "He is still spying on us."

"This is horrible!" I cried. "Who else is in on this?!"

"I don't know love, but probably more than just those guys" answered Gordon. "Though I doubt everyone else would agree this is necessary."

I almost started to cry, but Gordon quickly pulled me into a hug to comfort me.

"There, there love" comforted Gordon. "It will be alright."

"Will it though?" I asked with tears in my eyes.

"Of course it will" Gordon replied smiling.

Gordon and I left the courtroom to continue spending time together, though Maxwell lingered close by watching us. Gordon tried to get him to go away, but he was determined to keep an eye on this. As the day went by we had to put up with being watched all day. Den leaned against the wall in the gym as Gordon and I went for a run. Mara kept an eye on us as we ate lunch in the cafeteria. And Zoe lurked in the hallway of our rooms when Gordon and I were spending time in my room. We also noticed Bradford and Seth watching us throughout the day as well. It appeared that those six rotated in shifts through the day as they believed Gordon and I would commit murder due to the latest motive. As the night grew late and Gordon and I decided to return to my room to sleep. But as reached the hallway to our rooms, we saw Seth there.

"Don't try anything funny tonight you two" Seth said. "We'll be keeping watch out of who leaves their rooms for whatever reason all night."

Gordon appeared to be getting angry, but then he turned to me.

"I really hate to do it love, but I think it would be best if we slept in our own rooms for now. They're just gonna get more paranoid if we stay in the same room where we could plan a murder."

I hated this even more, sleeping while I'm in Gordon's arms is one of the few good things I have right now. I didn't wanna sleep by myself, but Gordon was right.

"Okay Gordon" I agreed.

We hugged and kissed goodnight before heading to our own rooms.

"Just because you're sleeping alone doesn't mean you aren't suspicious or you don't have a plan!" called Seth as we headed inside our rooms.

"Hey keep it down!" exclaimed Harry who was heading into his room.

Once I was inside, I got changed and did the usual nighttime routines. I then hopped into bed and did my best to go to sleep. But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't. I missed Gordon, I can't sleep without him. I started to cry and did for awhile, before I finally managed to fall asleep.

I woke up early the next morning. I got up, changed, and did the usual morning routines. As I left my room, I noticed Den, Bradford, and Maxwell were in the hallway. Both Den and Bradford, who both appeared to be angry stood over Maxwell who lay on his back on the ground.

"What the hell were you thinking you useless idiot!?" exclaimed Den.

"I.." Maxwell tried to say.

"Shut up! We may be screwed thanks to you!" cried Den.

"Nice work Maxwell" replied Bradford.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

All three guys turned in my direction.

"Oh, hey Annie" greeted Bradford.

"I... kind of fell asleep last night while I was on guard duty" continued Maxwell.

"What?" I asked confused.

"The damn pervert fell asleep when he was suppose to be keeping an eye on all the rooms, mainly you and your boyfriend" said Den.

"And since he fell asleep and if something happened, we won't know for sure who it was" continued Bradford.

"Of course you two lovebirds would be our prime suspects" replied Den.

I got angry. "Leave us alone!" I shouted before running away.

I kept on running until I reached the cafeteria, tears running down my face. Before I headed in, I noticed Gordon was already inside sitting at a table. He looked really tired and like he might fall alseep any second. I walked into the cafeteria.

"Gordon!" I called.

Gordon appeared to fully wake up and turn to me. He quickly got up and pulled me into a tight hug. He then kissed me on my head and forehead.

"Good morning beautiful, are you alright? he asked.

"I... am now" I replied smiling with hot tears on my face.

I slowly pulled apart from Gordon to wipe my face before turning back to him.

"Are you okay Gordon?" I asked. "You look tired."

"I am love, I couldn't really sleep last night" Gordon replied. "I know it was my idea to sleep in our own rooms last night, but I realized I just can't sleep without holding you in my arms."

I immediately fell back into Gordon's arms.

"I couldn't sleep without you either" I replied.

Gordon and I then shared a passionate kiss before staring into each other's eyes happily.

"I love you Gordon" I said happily.

"I love you too Annie" Gordon replied smiling.

We stood there happily for a few more moments before sitting down to talk.

"Did you eat yet?" I asked.

"No, I was going to, but I had to sit down to get myself together. I'm still tired" Gordon answered.

"You should get back in bed" I replied.

"No I'll be fine" Gordon stated. "I was gonna try to get you up, but I didn't want to deal with those fools harassing us."

"Understandable" I said rolling my eyes. "They're really taking it too far now. Was Maxwell still sleeping in the hallway when you left your room?"

Before Gordon could answer, we heard the intercoms click on.

"Attention students!" shouted Bat Wing over the intercoms. "I need you all in the library now for a sweet surprise!"

The intercoms clicked off. Gordon and I looked at each other nervously.

"Oh no" I said.

"Calm down love" replied Gordon. "We don't know anything yet, don't think like that. Let's just head get to the library."

Gordon and I quickly got up and started running to the library.. Gordon grabbed my hand and lead the way. We arrived shorty later and headed inside. In one of the corners of the library was a crowds of our fellow students who all looked scared and nervous.

"What happened?!" I cried as Gordon and I walked to the group.

They all turned to us, but I saw quickly what they were looking at. On the ground lay a big pile of books and in the pile lay the dead body of the ultimate entrepreneur Mara Ford.


	26. Chapter 26-3rd Investigation

I couldn't believe it! I just couldn't believe this was happening again for a third time! One of my fellow students killed Mara and we would soon have to investigate. And then decide who the killer is during the next class trial Either the killer will be discovered and executed by Bat Wing or all of those who are innocent will die while the killer walks out of this school alive.

"No... this can't be happening again" said Laurel who was close to tears.

"It is though" replied Seth. "Someone killed Mara.

"I wonder who that would be?" asked an annoyed Leah.

"I think we can get a pretty obvious idea" Den replied looking at Gordon and I.

Before anyone else could speak, Bat Win appeared flew into the library and landed in front of us.

"Wow that was fast!" Bat Wing exclaimed. "We already got another murder in the house!" Well at this point, you all know what to do! You got two hours to investigate before the class trial. During those two hours, all of your rooms will be unlocked and open for everyone else to investigate. But maybe this time Maxwell, spend time looking for clues in the rooms belonging to the girls and not for their panties."

Everyone immediately turned to look at Maxwell with Leah, Zoe, and Bethany looking like they're ready to rip Maxwell to shreds.

"What!?" asked Maxwell.

"Hop to it people!" exclaimed Bat Wing. "You got two hours!"

Bat Wing then flew out of the library leaving the thirteen of us alone. Leah slapped Maxwell in the face hard.

"Ow!" cried Maxwell.

"If you go near any rooms belonging to a girl, you're gonna get much worse than a slap" growled Leah.

"Please Leah, calm down" pleaded Gordon. "We don't have time for this."

"Agreed" agreed Bethany. "We need to investigate and be prepared for the class trial. Den and I will be on guard duty once again."

"Yeah whatever" replied Den who cast Gordon and I a suspicious glare.

"Everyone else get investigating!" demanded Bethany.

Some people ran out of the library, while others stayed behind in the library. Gordon turned to me.

"I'm sure you're already aware love, but you and I will be suspected during the class trial. It would still be best for us to be separated for now."

"I understand" I replied sadly.

Gordon quickly pulled me into a hug, which I returned. We then shared a quick kiss before Gordon broke our hug.

"I'll go look elsewhere, you investigate the library" Gordon said.

"Go it" I replied.

"I love you Annie" Gordon.

"I love you too Gordon" I replied.

Gordon walked out of the library and I returned my attention back to the crime scene. I suddenly remembered the file and pulled out my phone. The file was there and I opened it up. It appears Mara's time of death was 5:30am.

"Oh great" I thought to myself. "If Mara will killed during the night, it will be hard to for nearly everyone to provide an alibi if we were all in our own rooms."

The file also read that her cause of death was strangulation.

"Strangulation?" I thought to myself. "Mara was strangled?"

That was it for the file, so I put my phone away and got a better look at Mara's body. It lay on the ground buried in books, there was also a bit of blood that appeared to be leaking out of her forehead. Both Bethany and Den noticed I was staring at the body.

"Something on your mind Annie?" asked Bethany.

"Mara has a wound on her forehead that bled a bit last night" I replied. "But when and how exactly did it happen?"

"Why are you asking us when you should already know the answers" replied Den.

"What?" I asked very confused.

"Cut the bull crap Annie, we know this was done by you and Gordon. The real question is, which one of you killed Mara?"

"Den! Enough!" growled Bethany.

"Stop it!" I said. "We didn't do anything!"

"The motive only applied to you two, so it couldn't of been anyone else" Den replied.

"I'm warning you Den" Bethany said intimidatingly.

"Honestly. Gordon is the one who would probably kill between the two of you, but maybe you killed Mara because you two thought everyone would suspect Gordon?" continued Den.

Bethany quickly walked over to Den and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, he didn't resist.

"We're going to have some real issues here if you keep saying disgusting things like the crap you been saying" Bethany said angrily.

"I'm only trying to keep everyone besides the killer from dying" Den replied with no emotion.

"I very much doubt you are concerned about anyone besides yourself" Bethany continued. "But right now everyone is suspicious, just assuming Annie or Gordon is the killer won't solve anything."

Den had no rebuttal and just pushed Bethany off him and turned away from us. Bethany turned back towards me.

"What were you saying about Mara's wound Annie?" asked Bethany.

"Obviously she was attacked, but I wonder if the killer assaulted her before strangling her to finish her off or they strangled her and then inflicted the wound to confuse us?"

"I see" replied Bethany. "It would be best to answer all questions, but at least we know Mara was strangled to death."

"It might have to be enough" I replied. I waved goodbye to Bethany before looking around the rest of the library for any more clues, but there just wasn't anything else. I had no way to tell how the struggle between Mara and her killer went down or the order of injuries or if the killer set up the crime scene to confuse us by moving the body and books.

I suddenly remembered something that might be of use to us! The guard duty rotation last night! Den, Zoe, Mara, Seth, Bradford, and Maxwell were all suspicious that Gordon and I would commit murder due to the motive, they all took shifts last night in the hallway of our rooms to be on the lookout for suspicious activity. Seth appeared to have the first shift last night and Maxwell probably was on the last shift due to him falling asleep and being discovered by Den and Bradford. But perhaps one of those six noticed someone leaving their room last night or anything else that might be a clue.

I wanted to ask Den, but I doubt he would answer me as he already has his mind set on Gordon or me being the killer. No one else of those six was in the library, so I headed out and started walking. On my walk, I noticed Gordon was being questioned by Zoe and Leah.

I could of asked Zoe, but she was already in the middle of something. Plus she is most likely the same as Den and has her mind set on the killer being Gordon or me. If I found Bradford, Seth, or Maxwell, I'm sure they would talk to me. They may of gone overboard with spying on Gordon and I, but before all that they were somewhat friendly.

I kept walking until I ended up in the hallway near our rooms. I saw Bradford coming out of Gordon's room.

"Bradford!" I called.

He turned in my direction. "Hey Annie" he said suspiciously.

"Did you find anything in Gordon's room?" I asked.

"No clues there, but don't think you'll get away with it" Bradford continued. "I know one of you killed Mara."

"Do you have any proof?" I asked annoyed.

"Not yet, but I'm sure the class trial will reveal it" Bradford replied too sure of himself."

"Last night while you were on guard duty, did you notice anything suspicious like someone leaving their room?" I asked ignoring his last response."

"Well... no." Bradford replied. "Nothing happened during my shift."

"You just watched the hallway until your shift was over?"

"You got it."

"Who did you take over for and who took over for you?"

"I don't know what you're up to Annie, but I suppose I'll tell you the truth, so I can contradict any lies made by you or Gordon during the class trial. I took over Den and Mara relieved me of guard duty."

"Can you tell me the exact order?"

"If I recall, Seth started the rotations. Next up was Zoe. Then it was Den and like I just said I took over for him with Mara replacing me. And finally, Maxwell wrapped up by falling asleep.

"I see" I said thinking. "Maxwell must have been the last person to see Mara alive and that was when he relieved her of guard duty."

"Yeah nice try" Bradford replied. "But you can't fool me, I know it was you and Gordon. I hope you're ready to say goodbye."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Goodbye for now" Bradford replied and started to walk away.

"Wait!" I called after him, but he just ignored me.

"Asshole" I said out loud.

Just a few seconds later, Maxwell walked out of his room and saw me.

"Maxwell!" I cried.

"What murderer?" he replied.

"Don't say that!" I cried anxiously before calming down. "I need to talk to you."

"I know that, all the ladies wanna talk to me" Maxwell replied cockily.

I ignored his last remark. "After I got up this morning, it appeared not long before Den and Bradford discovered you fell asleep during guard duty."

"So?" asked Maxwell.

"Well it appeared those two, well mainly Den were mad that you may of missed something while asleep."

"So?"

"What did the three of you do after I left?"

"Den made us wait in the hallway for a long time to see who was still sleeping for whatever some reason."

"Who got up while you three were there?"

"Uh... Seth, Zoe... Harry, Laurel... and Clay."

"I see, then that means Bethany, Grace, Leah, Gordon and Mara all got up and left their rooms while you were asleep in the hallway."

"So?"

I was starting to get annoyed with Maxwell. "Bradford also told me that you took over guard duty for Mara. Is that right?"

"Right?"

"Well surely she would of woken you up if she saw you fell asleep, so you must of seen her leave her room before 5:30am."

"Yeah she said she was gonna go to the library to read."

"What?! And you didn't question her?!" 

"What? Wasn't that girl always in the library? I don't see what the big deal is."

"Maxwell... you are just... well whatever, before you passed out while you were on guard duty, did you notice anything suspicious like anyone else leaving their rooms?"

"Nope."

"Okay then, thank you very much Maxwell.

"I don't see what all this interviewing is gonna do for you Annie. We all know the killer is either yourself or Gordon. The question is which one of you two did it?"

I had enough of the accusations and just walked into my room to chill out for a bit. Thankfully, Maxwell didn't follow me in. I relaxed for a few seconds before deciding to investigate the other rooms. I spent a lot of time looking through the rooms of my fellow students, but didn't find anything that might be related to the murder of Mara.

"I have hope though" I thought to myself.

I looked a bit more in the rooms before hearing the intercoms click on.

"Stop investigating people!" shouted Bat Wing. "Courtroom now!"


	27. Chapter 27-3rd Trial Heats Up

The intercoms clicked off and I knew what I had to do. I was feeling very anxious, but I knew I had to do my best in the next class trial if everybody who is innocent was gonna survive. I ran as fast as I could to the courtroom. When I arrived, nearly everyone else was already there. Only Zoe was missing. I saw Gordon and ran up to him. He pulled me into a tight hug.

"How was it love?" Gordon asked me.

"I don't have the answer yet, but I'm sure we can do this again" I answered.

"How are you feeling?"

"Scared and anxious, but I have to pull through."

"You will Annie, no need to worry. I know we'll both be standing at the end of this."

"Thanks Gordon."

We shared a quick kiss before breaking our hug. I didn't realize everyone was watching us though.

"How sweet" said Den. "Hopefully you two enjoy your remaining time together."

"What the hell does that mean?" asked Gordon angrily.

"Whichever one of you killed Mara is getting the axe today!"exclaimed Seth.

"You better knock it off right now" growled Bethany.

"Chill out guys!" demanded Harry. "We will settle this in the class trial."

"Yeah wait until the real party starts!" declared Bat Wing.

Zoe quickly joined us moments later.

"Shall we do this?" Zoe asked.

"Indeed!" cried Bat Wing. "Everybody in!"

One by one we all followed Bat Wing into the courtroom. Once inside, we took our usual places at our podiums. I noticed that now the courtroom had a portrait of both Barry and the recently deceased Mara.

"If we survive this class trial and the killer is discovered" I thought to myself. "Then this courtroom will then have a third of us in these creepy portraits!"

Bat Wing flew up to his chair and sat down. He then turned to us.

"Alright people" Bat Wing began. "I'm sure you all know how this works by now, but hear me out again. For this class trial, you will all talk and debate on who you think the killer is before making a vote for your final answer. You vote correctly, only the killer dies by execution. But if you vote incorrectly, then everyone else will die. But this time, I did promise the killer will get the chance to spare a classmate from death if they aren't caught.

"We all know that" said Den.

"Begin!" cried Bat Wing.

"No need to focus too much here" said Maxwell.

"What do you mean?" asked Laurel.

"Isn't it obvious!?" cried Bradford. "The killer is either Gordon or Annie!"

"Hey!" I cried already getting more upset.

"Where is your evidence?" asked Gordon calmly.

"The motive" answered Den. "The motive only applied to the two of you."

"It is obvious you two have been in a relationship for some time" continued Zoe. "It would be no surprise if you two planned to kill someone and choose the other one to escape with you if you weren't discovered as the killer."

"Only question is what is Gordon or Annie?" asked Seth.

"That is only a theory" replied Gordon. "Without evidence, you can't just assume one of us killed Mara."

"I agree with that" agreed Grace. "A mere theory isn't enough to convince me that it was Gordon or Annie."

"I agree as well" agreed Bethany.

"Yeah" replied Clay. "Anyone here could of killed Mara and knew suspicion would be drawn to Gordon and Annie."

"Are you people stupid?" asked Den. "Who could it be?"

"Like Clay said" answered Laurel. "Anyone"

"Maybe you're the killer Den" accused Harry. "You're being quite vocal here about insisting Gordon or Annie killed Mara. Maybe you killed her and are using those two as scapegoats."

"The same could be said for your lackeys" stated Leah.

"What do you mean?" asked Bradford.

"Don't be dumb, we all noticed you, Seth, and Maxwell harassing Gordon and Annie yesterday" answered Leah. "Any one of you jerks could have killed Mara and are now trying to scapegoat one of those two."

"I saw Zoe spying on them too" said Laurel. "Don't forget about her."

"How god damn stupid can you people be!?" cried Den.

"You better watch your tone" growled Bethany.

"It wasn't me! It was them!" cried Maxwell.

"You're gonna need more of an argument than just accusing Gordon and Annie" replied Grace.

"The evidence may be lacking now, but suspicion still points to those two" said Zoe.

"It isn't enough to convince be!" shot back Harry.

"Guys we need to calm down here" replied Gordon. "We're not gonna get anywhere by simply taking sides and accusing each other."

"Sure thing murderer" replied Seth.

"Enough!" I cried.

Everyone turned to look at me as I grew anxious, but I ignored it.

"Please" I pleaded. "Can we move on from accusations to talk about something else?" I was nearly in tears. "Please, we need to discuss the crime scene."

"Annie is right" agreed Leah. "We can throw out suggestions on who you think the killer is after we discuss some actual facts."

"Whatever" muttered Den.

"Now then" started Gordon. "Did anyone notice anything about Mara's body or the crime scene?"

"The file did say she was killed at 5:30am this morning" answered Clay. "And that her cause of death was strangulation."

"It is a start, but still not leading us to any suspects" replied Laurel.

"Mara was found bleeding from her forehead and under a pile of books in the library" stated Harry. "Could that help us in any way?"

"I'm not so sure really" I replied. "We know Mara was strangled, but we can't confirm the order of her injuries."

"Did the killer strangle Mara and then bash her on the forehead?" asked Bradford. "Or did the two of them struggle which resulted in Mara's forehead being bashed before being finished off by strangling?"

"And about those books" added Bethany. "Did the killer place the books under her body after she was strangled? Or perhaps the killer bashed her on a bookshelf and threw her onto the floor as the books fell on top of her due to her assault?"

"This is too hard to figure out!" exclaimed Maxwell.

"Chill Maxwell" replied Gordon. "We just need to think about each possibility one at a time."

"The killer could of done it in whatever order" responded Den. "But there goal was just to confuse us on what really happened."

"Our first option is the killer and Mara fought in the library" stated Zoe. The killer ended up killing her by strangling her. Then to confuse us, the killer bashed her forehead on whatever and threw her body on the ground. And to wrap it all up, they buried her in books."

"And for our second option" continued Clay. "They still fought in the library, but the killer bashed Mara's forehead in before strangling her and they ended up doing that on a bookshelf. The killer threw her onto the ground and right after that she was buried in books before the killer strangled her."

"Wait a second" interrupted Seth. "Couldn't the killer have bashed her forehead in, then killed her by strangling her, and then threw the books on her just to confuse us?"

"The fatass actually has a good point" Den replied.

"Hey!" shouted Seth.

"There really is just no way to tell how it all went down" said Grace.

"Wouldn't the bookshelf or whatever Mara's forehead was bashed on have blood on it?" asked Harry.

"We didn't find anything with blood on it besides the floor where her body lay" I answered. "The killer probably cleaned up any blood that would of gave us any hints."

"What about what was used to strangle Mara?" asked Bradford.

"Was anything found in the library or anywhere else?" asked Gordon.

"I don' think anything found in the library could of done it" answered Laurel.

"And nothing else that could of strangled Mara was found" replied Zoe.

"Then what?" asked Leah. "The killer just used their own hands to do the job?"

"I guess so since we really don't have any other options" replied Maxwell.

"I would have to agree" I replied. "Until any other options come up, it is safe to assume the killer used their own hands to strangle Mara."

"Alright!" cried Maxwell. "I did good!"

"That was obvious to figure out you idiotic pervert" replied Den.

"Hey!" cried Maxwell

"Shut up" demanded Zoe. "Let us move on."

"I would like to know why Mara was in the library before her death" stated Bethany.

"I suppose just reading" answered Harry. "She did spend a lot of her time in the library reading."

"I can agree with that" agreed Zoe. "I saw her quite often when I was reading."

"But why did she have to go back to the library that early just to read?" asked Bradford. "I mean, if she couldn't sleep, why didn't she just read in her room?"

"She may not of had any books in her room" replied Grace.

"Mara read a lot, so I doubt that" responded Bradford.

I knew the answer on why Mara went to the library. "It was to read and Maxwell can prove it" I said.

"How so?" asked Clay.

"During the investigation, I talked to Maxwell" I continued. "Well I guess first off I should mention the guard duty that he was apart of."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Leah.

"Den, Zoe, Mara, Maxwell, Bradford, and Seth all took turns watching the hallway of our rooms last night" responded Gordon. "To see if Annie and I stayed in the same room and for anything that we might do that would be suspicious."

"Is that why Maxwell was asleep in the hallway when I got up this morning?" asked Grace.

"You people" growled Bethany. "How disgusting and paranoid can you be?"

"Hey! We were trying to make sure Gordon and Annie wouldn't plan anything!" responded Seth.

"Based off your own pointless worries!" shot back Harry. "You all took it too far!"

"Please everyone calm down!" I cried.

"Annie is right" agreed Laurel. "Please continue with how Maxwell knows why Mara went to the library this morning."

"As I was saying, the six of them took shifts watching the hallway" I continued. Maxwell was the last one to take his shift last night and he took over for Mara. Once he was on duty, she headed to the library instead of returning to her room."

"Is this true Maxwell?" asked Gordon.

"Yeah she said she was gonna read" replied Maxwell.

"And you didn't question her at all?" asked Zoe.

"No" responded Maxwell.

"You are such a worthless idiot" said Den.

"Anyway" interrupted Grace. "We can confirm why Mara went to the library, but I don't think it helps us at all with narrowing down on who could of killed her."

"Well who else went to the library around the same time as Mara?" asked Clay.

"Shouldn't Maxwell know?" asked Laurel. "If he was on guard duty, he should of seen anyone who left their rooms during his shift."

"Like Leah said" replied Bradford. "He was asleep in the hallway when she got up this morning."

"I noticed him too when I got up as well" agreed Bethany.

"Same here" said Gordon."

"Ditto" replied Grace.

"Did you see anyone leave their rooms during your shift Maxwell?" asked Laurel.

"Nope" replied Maxwell.

"The dumb fool fell asleep at some point during his shift" stated Zoe. "But regardless of when, he was asleep when the killer left their room to go to the library."

"Nice one Maxwell" said Bradford.

"What?" asked Maxwell.

"You're lucky the killer didn't kill you when they left their room" replied Seth.

"I don't know about that" I responded. "They would have been in danger of someone else coming out of their rooms as it was close to when people wake up. Also Maxwell could of woken up and alerted everyone else."

"Yay me" cheered Maxwell.

"Freaking dumbass" said Den.


	28. Chapter 28-Everbody is a Suspect

As we discussed the case some more, Alec appeared in the courtroom walking from one side to the other.

"Is anyone at all concerned why Bat Wing has a freaking anteater in this school?" asked Harry.

"I am a little concerned, but we can't worry about that now" replied Gordon.

"Gordon is right" I agreed. "We need to keep talking."

Alec disappeared when he made it to the other side of the court room.

"We appear to be at a lost for this case currently" said Bethany.

"What makes you say that?" asked Maxwell.

"We don't know how the exact struggle went down between Mara and the killer" answered Laurel.

"And since you fell asleep while on guard duty Maxwell" continued Clay. "We have no ideas on who could of left their room to go to the library.

"I still say all of that doesn't really matter as the killer is either Gordon or Annie" replied Seth.

"Enough with that accusations!" exclaimed Leah.

"We got nothing else to go on here" responded Den. "Just the fact that the motive applies to those too."

"That doesn't mean Gordon or Annie killed Mara!" argued Grace.

"But what other suspects could there be?" asked Bradford.

"Don't forget because of the motive, it wouldn't be a surprise for two people to team up to commit murder" continued Zoe. "While one person may of made the kill, two people could have easily played parts in the execution of the murder."

I started to get anxious again. If we didn't think of anything else to discuss, they would all start arguing about if Gordon and I being responsible for Mara's death."

"Wait!" I called out.

Everyone turned to look at me.

"Does anyone wonder why it was Mara who was killed?" I asked. "Why did the killer choose her as their target?"

"Well we already talked about the fact she spent a lot of her time reading in the library" answered Clay. "I guess it could be considered no surprise she would get up early in the morning to go there and read."

"And around 5:30am would be a good time to strike" continued Laurel. "Since no one else would probably be around."

"And they had perfect timing to leave their room without being noticed since Maxwell fell asleep while on guard duty" stated Bradford.

"I don't see where any of this is getting us besides wasting our time" said Den.

"No she is right" countered Gordon. "It is important to know why the killer chose Mara to kill."

"If we agree that she spent a lot of time in the library and they would have a good place and time to kill her, does that also mean that Zoe could have been considered as a target as well?" asked Bethany.

"What do you mean?" asked Seth.

"Zoe also spends a lot of her time reading in the library" replied Grace.

"Then she could have been killed as well?" asked Maxwell.

"Not a chance in hell" replied Zoe darkly. "Any of you fools try to kill me and see what happens."

"Please calm down Zoe" said Harry.

"Shut up" responded Zoe. "Anyway, while yes I do spent a good amount of my time reading in the library, it most likely wasn't as much as Mara did as I wasn't always in the library. Also I never got up that early just to go read."

"I see" I replied. "Then Mara was most likely the obvious target then."

"It doesn't freaking matter!" exclaimed Den. "No one can freaking prove the killer was targeting Mara before they actually made their move! For all we know they just went to the library and saw a chance to kill!"

"He does have a point" agreed Bradford.

"Now I believe we should go back to Gordon and Annie now" stated Maxwell.

"Hey we still have more to talk about" argued Gordon.

"Like what?" demanded Zoe.

"What else do we have to discuss?" asked Laurel.

I thought for a bit before thinking of something else to suggest.

"We agreed the killer went to the library while Maxwell fell asleep on guard duty right?" I asked.

"That is correct" agreed Bethany.

"Regardless of when they had decided to murder Mara, they knew that Maxwell would still be in the hallway if they decided to return to their room" I continued.

"I'm not following" stated Seth.

"What I'm trying to say is that the killer may of decided to not go back to their room in case Maxwell had woken up and was awake for his shift on guard duty" I continued.

"And if he saw someone return to their rooms, he would have been suspicious" added Harry.

"But don't you think the killer also thought he might still be asleep?" counted Bradford. "We can't know for sure if the killer returned to their room after killing Mara since it is a fact Maxwell was sleeping in the hallway way past her death and you know this."

"Bradford is right" I agreed. "When I woke up this morning, Den and himself had woken up a little before I did and discovered Maxwell sleeping in the hallway."

"Therefore, why are we wasting time talking about this if we can't know for sure where the killer went after leaving the library?" replied Den.

"We should still talk about it as it is something" I replied.

"I agree with Annie" agreed Clay. "Anything is better than nothing."

"Very well" said Zoe. "But where else can we go with this?"

"Well like I just said, I saw Den and Bradford confronting Maxwell about falling asleep during his guard duty shift last night when I left my room this morning" I answered. "Also when I was talking to Maxwell during the investigation, he told me the three of them stayed in the hallway after I left to see who would leave their rooms."

"Is this true you three?" asked Bethany.

"Yeah" replied Den.

"It is" said Bradford.

"We did stay" stated Maxwell.

"Tell everyone who you saw" demanded Zoe.

"While the three of us waited in the hallway, we saw Harry, Clay, Laurel, Seth, Zoe, and of course Annie leave their rooms" answered Den.

"Which would mean Bethany, Leah, Grace, and Gordon all left their rooms in the morning while Maxwell was still sleeping and before Den and Bradford discovered he was sleeping."

"This can also be proven as before those four claimed they saw Maxwell sleeping in the hallway" added Zoe.

"Are we suggesting those four are suspects since Den, Bradford, and Maxwell didn't see them leave their rooms because they may of spent the whole night in their rooms?" asked Harry.

"Hey!" shouted Leah.

"Easy people" said Clay. "None of them have been proven guilty yet, but maybe the four of you should explain what happened when you got up this morning and left your rooms?"

"Also why you didn't wake up Maxwell?" added Zoe.

"I had no reason to talk to him" said Gordon. "I already knew about his guard duty shift, also add the fact he and the others have been harassing Annie and I, it should be no surprise I didn't care to talk to wake Maxwell."

"I honestly didn't want to know why he was sleeping" stated Grace. "Also I was in a hurry to make breakfast."

"Pretty much the first reason that Grace said" agreed Leah. "No way I was gonna wake him up when he was sleeping in the hallway."

"It was none of my concern, also I was more focused on exercising" stated Bethany.

"Like I thought, waste of time pretty much" said Den. "And just because we didn't see them leave their room this morning, doesn't mean they didn't stay in their rooms the whole night."

"That is right" agreed Bradford. "They simply got up before Den and I and decided to not bother with Maxwell."

"The killer could still easily be someone who left their room while those three were watching the hallway" added Grace.

"But yes, I do think it is a good point to know that we didn't see Gordon leave his room this morning" continued Den.

"But that still doesn't make him more suspicious than anyone else here!" I cried.

"Oh yes it does" argued Maxwell. "In fact, he is the prime suspect now."

"Don't be so stupid" replied Zoe. "We need to be more sure before voting, Annie could of killed Mara and risked being seen by Maxwell by returning to her room."

"That is true!" exclaimed Seth. "It could still be Gordon or Annie!"

"But Den still has a good point about us not seeing Gordon!" replied Bradford. "We gotta consider that too!"

"No!" I cried.

"You still can't just accuse us as there is no actual evidence that points to us being the killer" countered Gordon.

"Gordon is right" agreed Bethany. "I am truly getting sick of all of you simply accusing Gordon and Annie just because of the motive, espically when the killer can easily be any of you."

"We're all equally suspicious" added Harry. "But the five of you harassing, spying on, and nonstop accusing Gordon and Annie is definitely something I will keep in mind."

"I could easily see Den being the killer due to the kind of person he is and he could still be angry about him being accused a lot during the last trial" said Clay.

"What about Zoe?" asked Laurel. "She is the coldest person here and it would be no surprise if she is the killer, remember what she said earlier?"

"I bet it was Maxwell!" cried Leah. It isn't enough he is a disgusting pervert, but he is stupid enough to leave his position to go to the library to Mara and risk being seen coming back by anyone who knew about the guard duty position and then pretend to fall asleep so he can wake up faking he was asleep pretty much his whole shift. Also don't forget he admitted Mara told him where she was going after he took over guard duty for her."

"Don't forget about Bradford and Seth" added Grace.

"Everyone stop!" exclaimed Gordon. "We can't be taking sides now!"

But it was no use, everyone besides Gordon and I were arguing with each other on who they thought the killer was. I felt somewhat guilty as I knew this all started with the theory of Gordon or I being the killer. But I had to remain calm and keep thinking about anything I may of missed. Despite my anxiety, my head was in the game. While the others argued, I thought and thought until...

"Could it be?!" I thought to myself.


	29. Chapter 29-Is It You?

While nearly everyone continued to argue on who they thought the killer was, all I could do was think over and over again in my head on what I had just recently realized. I went back to every single detail, no matter how small. I looked over every possibility to see if the killer could be someone else. But no matter what I tried, we barely had anything to go on for this case, we were all equally suspicious. But this little stuff I had realized, it was all I could really go with. But the thought of this person being the killer absolutely destroyed me.

"I have to reveal them as the killer though" I thought to myself. "I can't let everyone else die here."

I stood paralyzed for a bit more while the rest argued before I decided to speak up.

"Everyone!" I cried out.

Everyone turned to look at me.

"What is it Annie?" asked Laurel.

"You ready to confess?" asked Maxwell.

"Shut up!" demanded Leah.

"I..." I tried to say.

"Either speak up or shut up" responded Zoe coldly.

"Hey!" replied Gordon.

"I... think I know our best guess... for who the killer is" I finished.

"Is that so?" asked Den.

"Who is it Annie?" asked Clay. "Who killed Mara?"

"Out with it!" demanded Seth.

I was paralyzed with anxiety again before finding the courage to speak my mind.

"Gordon" I replied. "I believe it was Gordon who killed Mara.

"What!?" cried Grace.

"Are you serious?!" asked Bethany.

"You're saying it was Gordon who killed Mara!?" asked Harry.

"I knew it!" cried Bradford.

"Well well, what do we have here now?" asked Den.

Gordon looked at me confused.

"Annie" Gordon started with. "Love... what are you trying to say? How can you say that?"

I couldn't look at him right now. "I just... know it was you Gordon. You killed Mara.

"Annie please" Gordon tried to say.

"No stop!" I cried. "Don't make me do this!"

"What is going on here?" demanded Zoe.

"Annie?" Clay asked confused.

"Annie I can tell this is hard for you" started Leah. "But please, we need you to explain why you decided to suggest that Gordon is the killer."

I sobbed a couple times before getting ahold of myself.

"I admit, I can't exactly prove that Gordon killed Mara" I started with. "But with what I realized, he is the most obvious answer."

"What did you realize?" asked Laurel.

"Annie" Gordon said upset.

I continued. "Right before we were all summoned to the library by Bat Wing, I met up with Gordon in the cafeteria. He was simply sitting at a table looking like he was about to fall asleep."

"So?" asked Maxwell.

"Shut up!" I cried. "Let me finish! Anyway... It had just dawned on me that it was odd Gordon went to the cafeteria, but just decided to sit down at a table instead of eating anything."

"He wasn't eating or didn't mention about already eating?" asked Bethany.

"Not yet was his answer" I replied. "He also mentioned he couldn't sleep last night, so he just got up early."

"I don't think I'm following you" stated Seth.

"Gordon..." I tried to say. "My theory is Gordon went to the library to kill Mara, but before he left, he realized Maxwell might of woken up and was active on guard duty. Gordon knew he would be suspicious if Maxwell saw him return to his room at the time."

"Annie please" Gordon somewhat begged.

I ignored him. "Gordon didn't return to his room due to fear of Maxwell being awake, so he stayed away from the hallway near our rooms for the remainder of the night, that is why he was just sitting at a table in the cafeteria looking like he was gonna fall asleep when I found him."

"Interesting theory" responded Zoe.

"Annie, I don't know what you're exactly thinking" replied Grace. "But this theory isn't enough to pin the crime on Gordon, who I didn't think you would go after."

"I have more" I responded. "Gordon was one of the people that Den, Bradford, and Maxwell didn't see leaving their rooms this morning while they were in the hallway."

"That is correct" stated Bradford.

"But like we discuss before" responded Harry. "Anyone else who those three never saw leaving their rooms could still be the killer, as well as those who they did see."

"Wait!" I cried. "Also before this trial started, Gordon told me we would both be standing at the end. I thought he was just comforting me, but I now realize how sure he was being. Gordon truly believed he wouldn't be discovered as Mara's killer and would save me from being killed by Bat Wing.

"I knew it!" yelled Den. "That was the plan all along!"

"And to wrap up what I have to say" I continued. "The motive. Like I just said, Gordon was gonna take advantage of the motive and kill someone so he and I could leave this school together." 

"Annie!" Gordon cried shocked.

"Wow" replied Laurel. "I don't know what to think here."

"This is.. surely confusing" agreed Bethany.

"But it is exactly like I told you!" cried Den. "Either Gordon or Annie killed Mara so they could use the motive to save the other and escape!"

"Yeah!" shouted Maxwell.

"Hold it" demanded Zoe firmly.

"What is it Zoe?" asked Clay.

"Annie admitted it herself" answered Zoe. "It is only a theory and she can't prove Gordon killed Mara. For all we know, this was part of the plan. That Annie actually killed Mara and at one point during the trial, she would try to trick us into thinking it was Gordon."

"Her emotions appear to be legit" replied Leah.

"It could all be one big act" responded Zoe.

"I'm with Zoe here" agreed Den. "While I still think Gordon could be the killer, Annie could still be it too and what she just said could all be apart of their plan."

"No!" I cried. "I would never!" 

"Neither of us would" replied Gordon. "I think all this pressure and just the whole experience of being trapped in this school has gotten to Annie. She doesn't know what she is saying."

"Like you're in any position to say anything right now" Bradford shot back.

"Yeah!" yelled Seth. "It has to be one of you two!"

"Even if we narrowed it down to Annie or Gordon, we still would be on thin ice with the vote" stated Laurel. "Besides we aren't, everyone is still suspicious."

"Are we now?"asked Zoe. "The fact that Annie said all of that should narrow it down to just Gordon and herself."

"Why is that?" asked Harry.

"Either she is telling the truth and truly believes Gordon killed Mara or she actually killed her and is lying to play her part in the plan Gordon and her made."

"I believe I see what you mean" responded Bethany. "If anyone besides Gordon or Annie was the killer, I don't know why Annie would of said any of that."

"The killer really is either Gordon or Annie?!" asked Grace.

"It would appear so" replied Leah.

"That is what we have been trying to tell you!" cried Maxwell.

"Question is who do we vote for?" asked Den.

"Gordon or Annie?" asked Seth.

"Everybody listen to me" said Gordon. "We had nothing to do with Mara's death. Annie is not well right now. What she is saying can't be legitimate."

"And neither is anything you're saying" responded Zoe.

"Who did it?!" cried Bradford. "Which one of you killed Mara?!"

I couldn't take it anymore, I burst into tears in front of everyone.

"Please!" I sobbed. "This... this... has been painful for me! I don't... I don't want to lose Gordon!"

"Annie" Gordon tried to say.

"But!" I cried. "I can't... I can't walk out of this school with him knowing it cost the rest of your lives! I'm begging you... Vote for Gordon!

"Annie!" cried Gordon.

"What do we do here?" asked Clay.

"I think we have seen enough" said Zoe.

"Time to vote?" asked Maxwell.

"There doesn't appear to be anything else we can discuss" replied Bethany sadly.

"Annie... her tears are real" stated Grace.

"We should end this now" said Leah.

"Wait!" cried Gordon.

"Shut up!" yelled Den. "Bat Wing! We're ready to vote!"

"You got it!" replied Bat Wing.

The screens came down with our voting options. For some, they knew immediately who to vote for. For others, they took a moment or two to think it over before voting. I was part of the former and immediately got my vote out of the way with.

"I just want this to end!" I thought to myself in despair.


	30. Chapter 30-Despair

After waiting, we all just stood there waiting for Bat Wing to reveal if we voted correctly. With the exception of Zoe, everyone appeared to nervous and full of despair. I was still crying, but more silently. I stood there as tears ran down my face. Gordon looked like he was about to fall to the ground any second now. Bat Wing just stood there thinking.

"Freaking say something!" shouted Den.

"Just tell us already!" cried Clay.

"What are you waiting for demanded Leah.

Bat Wing turned to us.

"Just enjoying the moment, you're all so full of despair and lacking any hope. This is probably the worst any of you have been this entire game" he replied.

"You're horrible!" cried Grace.

"Stop wasting time and get on with it" demanded Zoe.

"Fine" shrugged Bat Wing. "Here we go."

Bat Wing got up from his chair and flew down to us."

"It was a real close vote" said Bat Wing. "A 7-6 vote between two of you. One of you obviously not being the killer and the other one maybe being the killer.

My anxiety was so through the roof, I'm couldn't take it anymore.

"It was between Gordon and Annie." Bat Wing continued.

Everyone besides Gordon and myself looked at us.

"But you go it right!" cried Bat Wing. "The killer is Mr. Gordon Jackson!"

That did it for me.

I fell to the ground sobbing, it went back and forth between quiet and somewhat loud sobs. Bethany and Grace rushed over to me to comfort me. Bethany pulled me to my feet, while Grace pulled me into a hug as I sobbed on her chest.

"No way!" cried Harry.

"I can't believe it!" cried Laurel.

"Looks like we had the right idea all along" said Maxwell.

"We did indeed" agreed Seth.

"You two better stop talking right now" growled Bethany.

Maxwell and Seth backed away in fear.

"Please calm down Bethany" said Grace.

"You better start talking Gordon" demanded Bradford.

"Everyone except myself turned to look at Gordon, but I couldn't face him now.

"It was the motive!" accused Den. "He saw his chance to escape here with Annie, so he went and killed Mara!"

"That seems to be the most logical guess" agreed Zoe.

"Enough" demanded Leah.

"Let him speak so we can hear the truth" agreed Harry.

"Well Gordon" said Seth.

Gordon just stood there for a bit before speaking.

"You're right" said Gordon. "It was the motive. I saw a way that Annie and I could escape, so I killed Mara."

"Knew it" replied Maxwell.

"Shut up!" cried Laurel.

"I didn't plan on killing her, I just saw my chance" continued Gordon.

"What do you mean?" asked Clay.

"Last night, I couldn't sleep" replied Gordon. "Annie and I slept separately in order to avoid looking suspicious from those who were harassing us."

The five who were harassing Gordon and I got some angry glares from those who weren't. Bradford, Seth, and Maxwell looked away nervously, while Den and Zoe simply ignored the glares.

"Since I couldn't sleep, I decided to go for a stroll" continued Gordon. "I left my room and saw Maxwell sleeping in the hallway.

Maxwell looked away again.

"I ended up at the library and I noticed Mara was in there reading" continued Gordon.

"And you saw your chance to kill her?" asked Zoe.

"Yes" confirmed Gordon. "When I saw her only thoughts of anger against her and the others who have been harassing us and a realization that I could escape this place with Annie, as well as no one else being around, so it seemed like my chance."

"Oh wow" Laurel replied horrified.

"I snuck up from behind her and tried to strangle her to death" continued Gordon. "She put up a bit of a fight, so it was a bit of a struggle. However, I was able to stun her by slamming her head onto a bookshelf."

"Which gave her that wound" confirmed Bradford.

"With Mara being injured, I was able to easily strangle her" continued Gordon. After that, I moved her body to a different spot and threw some books onto her to confuse you guys. I also cleaned up the blood from the bookshelf as well."

"You really did go all out" stated Seth.

"Gordon... I am at a lost for words" replied Bethany.

"But after I left the library, I realized Maxwell could be awake and of course I would be suspicious when the body was discovered if he saw me returning to my room."

"What did you do then?" asked Clay.

"I just left the library and walked around the school and stayed at various places until it wouldn't be considered too early to be up, as well as pray that more people would get up while Maxwell was still sleeping so I wouldn't be the only one he didn't see leave their rooms."

"You had no need to worry there" replied Leah. "He truly is a terrible guard."

"And you did all this so you could escape here with Annie?" asked Grace.

"I really don't know what to say guys" replied Gordon. "I'm sorry, I didn't wanna sacrifice any of you, even those who were harassing Annie and I."

"Yet you tried to do anyway" stated Zoe.

"You sick bastard!" yelled Den.

"You better back off right now Den!" demanded Bethany. "You, Zoe, Bradford, Seth, and Maxwell should all be ashamed of yourselves right now!

"Yeah!" agreed Harry. "It may have been Gordon's choice, but you all played a part!"

Bradford, Set, and Maxwell all looked guilty, while Zoe and Den showed no signs of remorse at all.

"Annie" Gordon said.

I finally turned to him, tears still falling down my face.

"I can't expect you to forgive me" Gordon continued. "And I'm sorry I won't be here for you anymore.

I started to cry a little harder.

"I'm sorry for what I did" Gordon said. "I'm sorry we weren't able to escape together. But please just always remember, I love you and I want you to keep hope alive so you can escape here with everyone.

I just stared at Gordon.

"I wasn't able to find that hope, but you can Annie. I believe in you!" Gordon cried.

I broke out of Grace's hug and ran as fast as I could into Gordon's arms. He held me tightly and close as I now sobbed into Gordon's chest.

"I... I... I love you Gordon!" I cried.

"I love you too Annie" Gordon replied as he kissed my forehead.

I continued to sob in Gordon's arms before the words I never wanted to hear were said.

"Boring!" cried Bat Wing. "Time for Gordon to die!"

"What?!" shouted Harry.

"Oh no, oh no" said Bradford.

"Stop!" shouted Bethany.

"It is alright guys" replied Gordon. "This is on me. This is my mistake. I have to take responsibility for what I did."

Gordon suddenly released me from his arms and stepped away from me as I stared at him in horror.

"Goodbye love" Gordon said.

"Here we go!" cried Bat Wing.

"NNNNNOOOOOOO!" I shouted as I tried to run back to him. "GORDON!"

But I was too slow. Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling and the chain shot out of the walls and got Gordon by the neck and pulled him away from the rest of us. I tried to jump into Gordon, but I only fell to the ground. Bethany and Grace rushed over to help me to my feet as Gordon was pulled into the wall before it closed. I started sobbing even harder.

"Gordon!" I shouted.

The giant screen came down to us again so we could watch Gordon be killed.

"I can't take this anymore!" cried Laurel who was also started to sob.

"No, no way" said Clay nervously.

"Here it comes" replied Den.

The screen turned on to reveal Gordon strapped to a director's chair, he just stood there like he was waiting for his execution. Suddenly it was revealed a bunch of stage lights were about Gordon with Bat Wing floating near them. He then took one of the lights and dropped it over Gordon. It hit his head and made a loud crack. Blood immediately came out of Gordon's head as he just looked dazed in pain. Bat Wing did the same thing a few more times and each light that hit Gordon appeared to cause him more injury and for more blood to appears. Grace and Bethany tried to turn me away from the screen, but I had to watch. I had to see Gordon while I could, before he would be gone forever. Bat Wing dropped one more light onto Gordon, but eventually he stopped moving. His body just fell over in the chair and we all knew that was the end of Gordon Jackson.

I continued to sob as Bethany and Grace did their best to comfort me, though I saw they both were starting to tear up too. Laurel was sobbing as well, while Leah comforted her while tearing up too. Harry and Clay had fell to the floor and were both sweating and breathing heavily. Bradford was shaking in fear, while Maxwell and Seth just stood there with horror on their faces. Zoe had her usual cold, emotionless look on her face and Den just turned his back.

Bat Wing flew back to us.

"With that! Gordon is out of here!" he cried.

"Shut up!" shouted Leah.

"You better leave us alone!" yelled Bradford.

"Whatever people, you guys are the ones who keep killing each other" replied Bat Wing.

"Why you..." growled Den.

"Six students down, twelve remain" continued Bat Wing. "We already lost a third of you guys! I wonder who will die next?"

Bat Wing then flew up to the ceiling, leaving the twelve of us alone to suffer in despair.

"Gordon" I thought to myself in despair. "Gordon really is gone!"


	31. Chapter 31-Split

After getting ourselves together as much as we could be, we all left the courtroom and gathered in the hallway. I had to be lead out by Grace though as I had no motivation to move at all.

"This just keeps getting more and more messed up" said Maxwell.

"We gotta get out of here" replied Clay.

"I know we looked before, but we have to try again so no more murders happen!" cried Laurel.

"This is... simply horrible" agreed Bethany.

I just stood there while the others talked.

"Before we do anything else" said Zoe. "Annie."

My eyes didn't meet her direction.

"Did you know about or actually participate in Gordon's plan to murder Mara?" asked Zoe.

"Zoe!" cried Harry.

"How can you ask something like that at this time!?" asked Grace.

"I gotta agree with her" agreed Den. "We gotta know if Annie was involved."

"Were you two not paying attention during the class trial?!" asked Leah. "Annie was the one to solve the case and ensure our survival!"

"That is right!" agreed Laurel. "If Annie knew all along about Gordon being the killer, why would she reveal the plan at last minute?!"

"Annie could very well have been involved from the beginning" responded Zoe. "And she simply felt remorse and did what was right, well the most possible amount of right she could even do."

"And if that is true, we know to keep an eye on her" continued Den. "If she was willing to be involved with murder before, no doubt she could do it again."

"Makes sense to me" replied Seth.

"Enough!" growled Bethany. "None of you have any right to be saying any crap like that!"

"Yeah!" agreed Harry. "Especially you Den and Zoe! You both have been almost bigger villains than Bat Wing!"

"The hell did you just say Arrow Freak?!" growled Den.

"Just how many people did you make burn to death while committing arson fire face?" asked Clay angrily.

"You're both freaking dead!" shouted Den.

Den lunged at Clay and Harry, who both jumped on him. Den, Clay, and Harry fell to the ground throwing many punches and kicks. Harry and Clay were able to hold Den down, but he was managing to put up a good fight.

"All of you stop it!" demanded Grace.

Bradford ran to join the fray, but Bethany quickly got in his way.

"Back off Bradford!" growled Bethany.

"I.." Bradford tried to say.

"Back off!" Bethany growled even louder.

Bradford took a step back, while Leah, Grace, and Laurel managed to pull Harry and Clay away from Den. Den then got up and tried to charge at Harry and Clay being pulled back by the girls, but Bethany quickly got in his way.

"Stop this right now Den!" demanded Bethany.

"Out of my way you football player wannabe!" growled Den.

Bethany punched Den in the chest, he fell back a bit in pain. Den then walked back away from Bethany.

"Is this what this game has come to?" asked Zoe.

"Shut the hell up!" yelled Laurel.

"Look at what you're doing!" cried Leah.

"I simply asked Annie a question, that I have yet to receive an answer for" replied Zoe.

"Do you really think Annie was in on the murder after seeing her just now?!" asked Clay.

"It could all be acting" responded Maxwell.

"Maxwell, you better stop right there unless you want the next punch" growled Bethany.

Maxwell immediately backed away.

"That goes for all of you" growled Bethany. "Maxwell, Seth, Bradford, and espically you two Zoe and Den."

"What?" asked Seth.

"All of you better stop tormenting Annie about everything, espically anything related to Gordon" replied Bethany.

"You all played parts in driving Gordon to kill!" accused Harry.

"Watch it!" demanded Bradford.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" countered Seth.

"Gordon was responsible for his own actions, why do you think he was the one to be executed?" replied Zoe.

"Everyone stop!" cried Grace. "We're upsetting Annie!"

I couldn't take it anymore, I fell down to the floors sobbing my eyes out. The class trial, all this fighting, Gordon's reveal, the fact that Gordon is gone, my anxiety, it was too much for me to handle!

I sat on the ground sobbing as Grace came over to me and hugged me from behind. Everyone else just stared.

"I think we all need some major space and time to ourselves.

"Agreed" Zoe replied who walked off.

"You fools better watch yourself" said Den who also walked off.

"Asshole" muttered Clay once Den was gone.

"Bastard" replied Harry.

"I better go too" said Bradford who jogged off.

Maxwell and Seth simply walked away together without saying anything or looking at anyone.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Laurel who was close to crying herself.

"For now, just get back on our feet" replied Leah who hugged her trying to comfort her.

"I'm sorry for losing it guys" said Clay.

"Me too" stated Harry.

"Don't worry about it you two" replied Grace. "You were only trying to protect Annie."

"Just try not to stoop to their level next time" lectured Bethany.

"Right" replied Clay who walked off.

"Got it" agreed Harry who went with Clay.

"This is bad" said Bethany. "We appear to split on two sides here."

"I know right" replied Laurel.

"Hopefully after a few hours of relaxing, everyone will have calmed down said Leah. "But we must be careful around those five."

Leah then waved goodbye before walking away. Laurel gave me a hug before going on her way as well. That just left Bethany, Grace, and I in the hallway. Grace was still hugging me.

"How are you feeling Annie?"

I had stopped sobbing and just stood in silence before slowly turning to Bethany.

"I... I think... I'll need some time alone.

"That would be best" agreed Bethany.

"We'll walk you to your room" said Grace.

Bethany and Grace both walked me to my room and made sure to let me know they could always come find them if I needed something. They both gave me a hug before leaving me by myself. I slowly went into my room and feel face first onto my head. I didn't want to sleep now, but I took a small nap.

When I woke up, I realized it had only been a few hours. The day was still young. I sat up in my bed and hugged myself before realizing something.

"Gordon will never hold me in his arms again as we sleep peacefully in this bed" I cried to myself.

Some more tears started to fall down my face.

"I'm alone now!" I thought to myself. "Gordon isn't gonna be here anymore to comfort me! Oh Gordon I'm sorry! I never wanted this to happen and I know you were only thinking of how we could get out of this crazy school. But I just couldn't escape with my own live while the rest of our friends suffered! I just couldn't do it!

I cried a little bit more before managing to stop myself.

"Gordon" I thought to myself. "Please watch over me and everyone else here."


	32. Chapter 32-Good Friends

I headed out of my room to head down to the cafeteria, I was starving. I hadn't eaten breakfast as the last murder case took up most of this morning. I quickly walked to the cafeteria and headed in. Bethany, Grace, Leah, Harry, Clay and Laurel were sitting at a table eating sandwiches and talking with each other.

"Hey guys!" I called as I walked towards them.

They all turned to me and smiled.

"Greetings Annie" greeted Bethany.

"Hey girl!" replied Laurel.

"Hey Annie" responded Harry. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better I'd say thanks" I replied sitting down. "But right now I am starving!"

"Help yourself please" replied Grace. "I don't think most of us got to eat so far today, so I made plenty of sandwiches."

"Man Grace, I sure wish you cooked for my trivia nights" said Clay. "Your food is always amazing."

"You'll have to give me some of your recipes before I get out of here" agreed Leah. "I'd love to eat your amazing food during my breaks from riding practice."

"We are indeed fortunate to have you here Grace" stated Bethany.

"Awl thanks guys!" replied Grace who was blushing. "All I do is try to make sure everyone is having a good time.

"We are indeed" responded Harry.

I got a couple of sandwiches and began eating. They were so good!

"Delicious Grace!" I stated.

"Thank you Annie, glad you're happy" replied Grace.

"This is such a good time we're having" said Laurel.

"For sure!" agreed Clay.

After devouring a few sandwiches, I turned to everyone. "Have any of the others been in here recently or has anyone seen them?"

Everyone grew quiet for a bit.

"Bradford, Seth, and Maxwell came in to get lunch earlier" responded Leah.

"Of course they just came in to get food and left" stated Clay.

"I don't think anyone has seen Den or Zoe since the end of the last class trial" said Bethany.

"I can't imagine you wanting to be around them right now Annie" stated Harry. "Not after the way they treated you."

"I know" I replied sadly. "But I can't afford to hold grudges at this point. We all have to cooperate and get along with each other if we're gonna get out of here.

"Easier said then done" countered Laurel. "Den and Zoe are totally off in their own worlds."

"And those other three guys are just their lackeys" stated Clay.

"Maxwell and Seth definitely don't think for themselves at all, but I think Bradford had some guilt over his latest actions" disagreed Grace. "I think he'll relax eventually."

"I agree with Annie on how we all need to get along at this point and that Bradford could change, but he can start with an apology to Annie" replied Bethany.

"They all need to apologize" agreed Harry.

"I'm sure they will when I cross paths with them" I replied. "I wanna talk to all of them, so I'll be looking for them later today."

"Just be careful Annie" warned Clay. "They were wrong about you, but that isn't to say they wouldn't try anything."

"Especially if you're all alone with one of them" agreed Laurel.

"I appreciate your concern guys, but I need to make sure we're all on the same page here" I replied.

"Maybe one of us should accompany you when confronting them?" suggested Bethany.

"Again I appreciate it, but I'll be fine" I declined.

"Just be careful" warned Leah. "I think those guys are dangerous or at the very least have the potential to be dangerous."

The seven of us at a nice remainder of our lunch and of course after we were done we all helped Grace clean up and wash dishes. We all then walked out of the cafeteria together.

"Thank you very much Grace" thanked Bethany. "I shall now return to my room for a little rest before exercising."

Bethany waved and walked away.

"Agreed, thank you Grace" thanked Leah. "Laurel and I are gonna head back to our rooms for some girl time."

"Thank you Grace!" replied Laurel.

Leah and Laurel walked off.

"Clay and I were gonna hit up the game room" stated Harry. "We'll see you guys later and thanks for lunch Grace!"

"Yeah thank you" thanked Clay.

Harry and Clay walked off. That left just Grace and I.

"I was gonna go for a swim at the pool" said Grace. "Would you want to join me Annie?"

"No thank you" I declined. "I was gonna look for the others now.

"Okay, just be careful" warned Grace.

"I will, thank you again Grace" I replied.

Grace and I waved goodbye before both walking off.

"I really have made some great friends" I thought to myself. "Even with Gordon gone, I feel safe knowing I'm with such good friends such as Grace, Bethany, Laurel, Leah, Harry and Clay. And I know for sure that Den, Zoe, Bradford, Maxwell, and Seth will agree to get alone eventually.

I do have some good friends here.


	33. Chapter 33-Peace and Hostilities

As I started my search to make peace with the others, I almost immediately ran into Bradford in the hallways. He was jogging and slowed down as he approached me.

I smiled at him "Hi Bradford."

He looked nervous "Hey Annie."

"How are you doing?"

"Good."

I realized this small talk was going anywhere. "Look Bradford, I just wanna let you know I'm not holding anything against you or the others for what you did before. That includes before, during, and after the last class trial."

Bradford still looked nervous. "Thanks Annie... and honestly I really have to apologize for how we all acted."

"There is no need..."

"No please, I really have to."

Bradford looked like he was full of regrets.

"They aren't excuses, but the last motive really got me thinking and I was foolish enough to listen to Den about spying on Gordon and you to make sure you didn't do anything. And I guess after Mara's murder, all I could think how it was one of you who did it. But I see now we weren't doing any good, only the complete opposite."

I was shocked just how remorseful and major Bradford was being, mainly due to the fact he is always so cocky.

"I didn't want to believe it" Bradford continued. "But we all played our roles in stressing out Gordon to the point he did what he did, which could have lead to all of us dying during the class trial had we guessed wrong."

"Bradford" I started. "I really do appreciate your words and like I said I just want to make peace. Now more than ever we have to be united if we're gonna escape here, we can't be split down the middle."

"I agree" agreed Bradford. "Though it may be hard to convince the rest of them to be united. Den and Zoe will never change their views and Maxwell and Seth can't even think for themselves."

"Just leave that to me" I replied smiling. "Thank you Bradford."

"Anytime" Bradford replied.

Bradford then kept on jogging down the hall. I watched him until he was out of sight.

"Bradford may of started off as a cocky guy, but really has had a change in character development" I thought to myself.

I continued on with my search to find the others. I stopped again by the lounge when I saw Maxwell walking out of it.

"Maxwell!" I called.

He turned to me and grinned creepily. "Hello there pretty face."

"Stop!" I replied disturbed. "Please Maxwell, can you be serious for once?"

"Nope" Maxwell replied still grinning creepily.

Anyway... I just want you to know I'm not holding anything against you or the others for what happened before with Gordon and I."

"Cool."

"...Is that all you have to say?"

"Yeah"

Maxwell then walked away from me.

"Wait!" I called out to him, but he just kept walking.

"I really shouldn't be thinking like this at the point" I thought to myself. "But Maxwell has only gotten worse since we been trapped in this school."

I looked into the lounge and saw Seth sitting in a chair eating a big pile of food. I walked into the lounge.

"Hi Seth" I greeted.

Seth looked up at me. "Hey."

"How are you doing?"

"Fine" Seth replied before turning back to his food.

I realized this was just gonna be like talking to Maxwell pretty much. "Look Seth, I just want to you to know that I'm not angry with what you and your group did to Gordon and I recently. We all have to be at peace if we're gonna escape from this school."

"Apology accepted."

"What?" I asked confused.

"I know you knew we were right in what we did before, I mean Gordon did kill in order so you and him could escape, we were right to be suspicious."

I just stared at Seth in silence before quickly turning around and walking as fast I could out of lounge. I was in shock and close to tears.

"How could Seth say stuff like that?" I asked myself. "I know I'm suppose to forgive him, but what he said was too much!"

I kept on walking until I ended up by the library. I walked in and I saw Zoe sitting in a chair reading. I thought of just walking away and forgetting my quest as if I couldn't get anywhere with Maxwell and Seth, then there was no hope with Zoe. However, I had to keep hope alive.

I walked into the library to talk to Zoe. "Hi Zoe."

Zoe looked up from her book and frowned at me. "What do you want?"

"I... I just wanted to talk with you to make sure there wasn't any bad blood between me and you guys for what happened before."

"What do you mean?"

"You know... how you and the others spied on Gordon and I and pretty much harassed us... and certain stuff that was said during the last class trial.

I didn't want to mention anything that might make it seem like I blamed Zoe and the others for causing Gordon to kill Mara.

"Listen" Zoe replied coldly. "What we did was simply take some extra steps to prevent any murders from happening that might happen due to the motives and I'm sure you realize the truth after what happened.

I tried to respond, but Zoe wouldn't let me.

"Gordon may of claimed we stressed him out to the point he wasn't thinking straight, but it ultimately was him who made the choice to kill Mara, which again proved we were in the right for making sure you two weren't planning a murder. Also haven't I mentioned it before several times? You're not going to survive this place by relying on anyone but yourself. Anyone could kill anyone here at any moment, even I didn't fully trust Den and the others when I was approached to join them in keeping any eye on you. I was prepared to strike back at any moment if the tables turned at all."

Even though I really shouldn't be surprised at this point, Zoe's words shook me to the core.

"You got what you need to know Annie, now leave me so I can continue reading."

I immediately walked out of the library trying to hold back my tears.

"I knew it" I cried to myself. "It was pointless to talk to Zoe."

As I walked out of the library and into the hallway, I started to tear up a bit. I then soon came across Den.

"What's wrong?" Den asked with no emotion.

"I... I..." I tried to say.

"Whatever it is, shake it off and focus on looking for a way out of here. We're not getting any where walking around crying."

Den then walked away from me as more tears came down my face. Even though he had been cruel towards me just now, I felt I sensed a bit of remorse in Den's face and voice. However, that wasn't enough to prevent me from crying for what he said to me. I sat down against the wall and cried for a bit feeling hopeless at the cruel things thrown in my face and the worthless results that came from talking to these people.

But after crying for a few minutes, I got up and wiped the tears from my eyes and remembered what I have to do. I had to keep hope alive.

"Some of the people still standing here in this school may be hard to get along with, but the rest of us are friends who will work together to defeat Bat Wing and whoever put us in this place. Also my efforts weren't totally wasted. Bradford is on my side and I swear Den is showing signs of slowly changing. I just have to keep hope alive."

We will escape here.


	34. Chapter 34-Soon to be Half

After I had talked to the others, the evening started to appear. I decided to relax for now as I really needed. I decided to go for a swim, so I headed for the pool. Of course I realized I didn't have a swimsuit or a towel, so I hurried over to the warehouse to grab one of each item.. After that, I headed back to my room to change and then hurried over the the pool. I really was in the mood for swimming. As I got to the pool and entered I saw both Bethany and Grace were in the pool swimming.

"Hey girls!" I called as I walked in.

They both turned to me. "Hey Annie!" they replied.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked.

"Come on in" confirmed Grace.

"The water is quite nice today" replied Bethany.

I quickly set my towel and phone on a pool chair and then hurried into the pool. Bethany, Grace, and I spent some time swimming around.

"Did you confront the others?" Bethany eventually asked.

"Yeah I did" I replied.

"How did it go?" wondered Grace.

"Bradford was actually quite remorseful, he truly feels bad about what he did" I answered.

"Someone as cocky as him? Wow" Grace replied amazed.

"I know" I continued. "And while Den didn't say it out loud, I can tell he is also starting to change."

"Den of all people?" replied Bethany who was equally surprised.

"Indeed" I confirmed. "However, Zoe is still stone cold as ever and Seth and Maxwell are just as clueless as ever."

"EW!" cried Grace.

"What is it!?" Bethany and I both asked in surprise.

"There!" replied Grace was pointing to the window.

Bethany and I quickly turned to the window and gasped in shock and disturbance as Maxwell was spying on us through binoculars.

"Pervert!" yelled Bethany angrily.

Bethany quickly got out of the pool and started to run towards the exit. Maxwell quickly got scared and ran away from the pool as fast as he could, while he was shockingly fast, there was no way he could outrun an athlete like Bethany. Fortunately for him, Bethany stopped by the pool door. She turned back to us."

"Next time I see him, he will get his just desserts" said Bethany.

"What will you do Bethany?" asked Grace.

"At the very least, I will lecture him by yelling" answered Bethany. "At the very most, give his ass a good kicking."

Grace and I both laughed as Bethany walked back to the pool to swim some more with us. The three of us swam for a bit more before calling it to an end. We got out of the pool and grabbed our towels to dry off.

"That was fun!" declared Grace.

"For sure" I agreed.

"While not my sport, swimming for a fun is definitely a good way to relax" stated Bethany.

"We'll have to do it again soon" I replied.

"Sounds like a plan" agreed Grace.

"Indeed, but for now I'm gonna hit the gym" replied Bethany. "I will see you girls later."

Bethany waved to us as she exited the pool.

"What are you gonna do Grace?" I asked.

"I'm gonna head to the cafeteria to prepare dinner, what about you Annie?" responded Grace.

"I think I'll go spend some time in the lounge" I answered.

"Okay, see you later then!" replied Grace.

We both hugged goodbye before heading out of the pool area. Grace started her way to the cafeteria and I headed to the lounge. Pretty much after I started my walk, Bradford came jogging by.

"Hi Bradford" I greeted.

"Hey again Annie" Bradford returned the greeting. "What are you up to?"

"I was just gonna spend some time in the lounge" I replied.

I then had an idea.

"Would you like to join me Bradford?" I asked.

"Uhhhh..." Bradford replied nervously. "Sure."

"Even though Bradford was trying to change, it still must be someone awkward for him to be around me" I thought to myself.

"Alright, let's go" I declared.

"Aren't you gonna change first?" asked Bradford.

I looked down at the clothes I was currently wearing and normally wear. "What do you mean?"

"What!" cried Bradford. "Weren't you just wearing a swim suit and... oh wait it must be the damn writer decided to cut back on the story."

"Huh?" I asked confused.

"Never mind" answered Bradford. "Let's get going."

Bradford and I started to head to the lounge. He still appeared to be nervous while talking to me, but quickly started to enjoy our conversation. Bradford still tried to be cocky like he always was, but I could still tell through our conversation that he was legit trying to change himself. I was enjoying talking to Bradford, however that enjoyment would soon be replaced with despair.

As Bradford and I reached the lounge, a horrifying sight appeared before our eyes. There at the entrance to the lounge was Clay lying on the ground bleeding. He had cuts on his head and he held his throat as blood slowly poured out of it. Clay appeared to be fighting for his life.

"Clay!" I cried.

"What the hell!" shouted Bradford.

We quickly hurried over to Clay and got down to his level.

"We need to stop the blood!" I cried.

"I'll find something!" replied Bradford who got back up and ran into the lounge.

Anxiety and fear came to me immediately, but I knew I had to be strong if we were gonna save Clay.

"Hang in there Clay! You're gonna be just fine!" I stated.

Clay looked at me while continuing the hold his throat. "Ann..."

"Save your strength Clay! Please you gotta stay here with me!" I pleaded as tears started to fall down my face."

"I couldn't find anything!" cried Bradford who just came back out of the lounge.

"No Clay!" I cried. I quickly took off my shirt and tried to stop the bleeding coming out of his throat. But even with his hand and my shirt, it still continued to come out.

"No... ussssse." Clay tried to say

"Clay!" I cried as more tears started to come.

"Who did this to you Clay?"asked Bradford. "Who tired to kill you?"

Clay tried to talk with the last of his strength "...Riiiiiiiiieeeeee" was all he could say before he appeared to go numb. Clay dropped his hand from his throat and closed his eyes as he dropped to the floor with all he could go. The ultimate trivia master Clay Adamson was now dead.

"No" I cried. "Noooo!"

The intercoms then clicked on. "Attention all remaining students!" shouted Bat Wing. "Get to the lounge now!"

The intercoms clicked off as Bradford pulled me to my feet as more tears came down my face.

"I'm sorry Annie" said Bradford sadly.

As I continued to cry, my sight went to the lounge and I fell back in horror at what was in the lounge. Lying on a chair in the lounge was the ultimate eater Seth Brockman who also appeared dead. One might of assumed he was just sleeping since his eyes were closed and his body just lay there on the chair.

"NO!" I cried as I got out of Bradford's grasp and ran into the lounge.

Bradford followed me with his eyes and also fell back in horror.

"Seth!" shouted Bradford.

The intercoms clicked on again. "You all better get to the lounge soon people!" shouted Bat Wing. This one will be good!"

The intercoms clicked off as I looked down at Seth's body. The announcement from Bat Wing proved it, Seth was dead as well as Clay. I just stood there crying until Bradford came to me and tried to comfort me, but I pulled away and fell to the ground crying.

"Why?" I cried to myself. "Why is this happening now?!" Not just one person, but two! Clay! Seth! We had just finished the last class trial and two more of us were already dead! I was just starting to recover from Gordon's execution and feeling hopeful thanks to my friends and even Bradford was on my side! But now, all I feel is despair!


	35. Chapter 35-Another Investigation

Bradford tried to comfort me, but he seemed awkward and unsure about doing it. I didn't mind though, all I had on my mind right now was the dead bodies of Clay and Seth.

"Why?" I kept asking myself. "Why do my friends keep dying? Why do we have to keep investigating the murders? Why do we have to fight for our lives in the class trial? Why is it either the killer gets executed at the end of them or everyone who is innocent? Why!?"

Not too long after Bat Wing's announcement, the rest of my classmates started to arrive. Den, Maxwell, and Zoe arrived first. Bradford and I were waiting outside of the lounge and they joined us there.

"What the hell?!" cried Maxwell.

"Clay!?" asked Den shocked.

"Twice in one day I see" stated Zoe.

"It isn't just him" replied Bradford. "Look inside the lounge."

The three of them did and were met with even more horrid results.

"No damn way!"exclaimed Den.

"Two for one I see" said Zoe.

"Wow just wow!" cried Maxwell.

Just then, Bat Wing appeared before us.

"Hey guys!" exclaimed Bat Wing. "We'll have to wait for the rest of your classmates to arrive, but I gotta say how proud I am of you guys! Three murders in one day! Great work!"

"What the hell did you just say?!" growled Den.

"You better back off!" cried Bradford.

Bat Wing merely laughed. "I didn't even have to announce the next motive! I was thinking of increasing the temperature in the school a whole lot each day until another murder happened."

Bethany and Grace arrived outside the lounge. The former looking mortified, the latter looking like she was gonna burst into tears.

"No! Not again!" cried Grace.

"Clay!" exclaimed Bethany.

"What happened!? cried Grace. "We were all just eating lunch together not too long ago!"

"Save it for the class trial ladies" replied Zoe. "Also don't get too worked up as the truth is about to be a whole lot worse."

"What do you mean?" asked Bethany.

I finally found the strength to talk normally. "It isn't just Clay, look inside the lounge."

Bethany and Grace immediately looked inside the lounge and Grace screamed.

"No!" screamed Grace. "Not Seth too!"

"This is just... awful" said Bethany.

"Someone is gonna pay" growled Den.

Harry then ran over to join us and his look of despair was the worse one of us all as he kneeled down beside Clay.

"Clay?" he asked in shock of horror. "What happened here?!"

"The answer should be pretty obvious" replied Zoe. "One of us killed him and made him no more."

"Zoe!" I cried.

"Have some respect!" cried Harry.

"Wasn't just him, someone also got Seth too" said Maxwell.

Harry didn't appear to hear any of us as he just stared down at Clay's body. I forgot, Harry was pretty good friends with Clay. This is gonna be hard for him the most. Bethany walked over to try to comfort Harry, but he didn't seem to notice her.

"Such despair!" laughed Bat Wing.

"Shut up!" yelled Den.

"No!" responded Bat Wing. "Anyway, where are Laurel and Leah at? I wanna start the investigation so we can get the next class trial going on."

"That is a good point" agreed Zoe. "Laurel and Leah are the only ones who aren't hear yet."

"I'm gonna go find them so we can going" replied Bat Wing. "Be right back!"

Bat Wing flew off down the hallway leaving us alone. Bethany managed to pull Harry to his feet as he still starred down at Clay's body. Grace silent sobbed against the wall. Den and Zoe went inside the lounge to get a better look at Seth's body as Maxwell just stood back watching everyone. Bradford came back over to check on me.

"How are you doing Annie?" asked Bradford.

"Fine thanks" I replied not sounding so convincing.

"Are you gonna be okay during the investigation and the class trial?" asked Bradford.

"I... I'll have to be" I replied. "We need to all put our heads together to solve this double homicide."

"Don't get ahead of yourself you fool" replied Zoe who was walking out of the lounge. "While it is certainly possible someone killed both victims, they also each could have been killed by a different person."

"If that is true, how will that work during the class trial?" asked Maxwell.

"We'll have to ask Bat Wing when gets back with Laurel and Leah" answered Bradford.

"Here I am!" replied Bat Wing who flew back over to us with Laurel and Leah running right behind him. They both looked horrified when they reached us.

"Oh no" said Leah.

"Clay!" cried Laurel.

"Look inside the lounge as well" suggest Zoe.

Both Laurel and Leah did look inside the lounge and Laurel screamed.

"What?! Two murders!?" cried Laurel.

"Why must this keep happening?" asked Leah sadly as Den walked out of the lounge to join rejoin us.

"Now that the gang is all here, we can get started!" declared Bat Wing. "Though man are you people starting to drop pretty quick now. We only got ten students left!"

"Cut the bullshit so we can start investigating already" demanded Den.

"Learn to respect your elders Mr. Fire" order Bat Wing. "But yes, you should all know what to do. You have two hours to investigate the murders of our two latest victims before the next class trial. Use this time however you want and your rooms will be open for anyone to access during these two hours. But maybe this time actually look for clues instead of panties for once Mr. Krueger."

Bethany, Laurel, Leah, and Grace all glared angrily at Maxwell as he backed away a little nervously.

"Before we start, I have a question" said Zoe. "Since there are two victims this time, how will that work?"

"Good question indeed" replied Bat Wing. "Of course you will look for clues for both victims during the investigation and discuss them both during the class trial. When it comes time to vote, you will vote for who you think killed each person, whether you believe there are two different killers or only one."

"And how will everything go down if say there are two killers and we only guess one correctly?" asked Bethany.

"Pretty simple" replied Bat Wing. "Starting with the first victim, of course if you guess the killer wrong, they walk out of this school alive, while the rest of you die. And of course if you guess correctly, I will execute the killer, while the innocent students survive for now."

"Why only for now?" asked Leah.

"Because!" declared Bat Wing. "Then we look at the results for the second victim. Like always, vote correctly and the killer dies while the Innocent survive, vote incorrectly and it will be the other way around."

"What if the same person killed both Clay and Seth, but we come up with two different killers?" I asked. "Mainly we get it right for the first victim, but then vote for someone else for the second one."

"You all die then" laughed Bat Wing. "The killer will die as you voted correctly for the first murder, but then the rest of you will have to go as you voted incorrectly for the second murder."

"And how many killers are there?" asked Maxwell.

"That is for you all to find out" replied Bat Wing. "Your two hours starts now!"

Bat Wing flew down the hallway, leaving us alone with the dead bodies of Clay and Seth.

"I know this is a lot to take in so suddenly" said Bethany. "But we have stay calm and focus if we're gonna make it through the next class trial."

"I agree" I replied.

"I guess as always Bethany and I will be on guard duty as usual" said Den.

"We need two more people on guard duty as well" responded Zoe. "The bodies may only be a little bit apart, but they are still far enough to the point someone could do something without the other guard noticing."

"I guess I can help this time" said Bradford.

"I will as well" replied Leah.

"Bethany and Leah will guard Clay's body, while Den and Bradford will watch over Seth's body. Everyone else get investigating now" ordered Zoe.

While most of us had looks of annoyance on our faces due to Zoe trying to order us around, everyone got moving quickly. Bethany and Leah moved closer to Clay's body to protect it from disturbance, while Den and Bradford headed inside the lounge to protect Seth's body. Maxwell immediately ran down the hallway, with Laurel hot on his trail.

"Maxwell!" shouted Laurel. "You better stay out of my room!"

Zoe and Grace also headed inside the lounge, most likely to look over Seth's body. I outside the lounge with Harry for a bit.

"Harry" I started with. "Are you gonna be okay."

Harry finally shifted his eyes from Clay's body. "I think I will be, but... I can't be here right now. I'm gonna go look elsewhere."

Harry quickly started walking down the hallway.

"Poor Harry" said Leah. "Clay was like his best friend here."

"I can unfortunately relate" replied Bethany. "I was quite saddened when Dianna was killed.

"As was I when Shauna was first killed" related Shauna sadly.

I could of agreed to with the recent death of Gordon, but I didn't want to talk about it and time was of the essence. I got down on my knees to look over Clay's body. There wasn't anything new that I haven't already scene. Clay had the cut across his throat the sealed his fate and several small cuts on his head. My bloody shirt also lay on the ground near his body. Obviously someone attacked Clay in the lounge and left him for dead.

"What could of caused Clay's injuries?" asked Bethany.

I suddenly remembered. "The file."

I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the latest file.

"Clay's case" I started. "Clay's cause of death was a cut across the throat and was discovered in the entrance to the lounge."

"What? No time of death?" asked Leah.

"I assume to not reveal the order of the murders" replied Bethany. "Knowing who was killed first and second would give us a lead in the class trial."

"I agree" I replied getting up. "I'm gonna look in the lounge now."

"Good luck" replied Bethany.

"We're counting on you" stated Leah.

I waved to Bethany and Grace and then stepped into the lounge to look for more clues and get a better look at Seth's body. When I walked in, Zoe and Grace were looking over the lounge for clues while Den and Bradford were on guard duty. I looked at my phone to look at Seth's case.

"Seth was discovered dead in the lounge. Is that all?"

"That appears to be the case" replied Zoe.

"Bat Wing sure wants us to find all this out on our own" replied Grace.

I joined them in looking for clues. Immediately I noticed in a shattered glass vase of flowers on the floor not far from the entrance. There was a decent amount of blood on several pieces.

"I think we can all agree the killer used the glass vase of flowers on Clay." I replied.

"Obviously" agreed Zoe.

"He was cut up pretty badly and circumstances seem to agree" replied Den.

I then walked over to Seth's body. He still laid in the chair dead. I then noticed a sandwich on the ground.

"I see you noticed the sandwich" said Bradford.

"Yeah" I replied.

"Maybe he just choked on it" replied Den.

"That would be too easy" said Zoe. "My guess would have to be poison."

"What makes you say that?" asked Grace.

"Just my theory for now"replied Zoe. "But also isn't the food he was eating one of your sandwiches you made for lunch today Grace?"

"..Yes" answered Grace nervously.

"That is suspicious" said Den.

"Easy guys" interrupted Bradford. "Save it for the class trial."

"Bradford is right" I agreed. "We can't accuse each other now."

"Very well" replied Zoe who was in the process of heading out of the lounge.

I turned to Grace. "Relax Grace. Just because Seth was eating your food it doesn't point to you as the killer."

"Thanks" replied Grace who also left the lounge.

"Like I said, she is suspicious" said Den.

I turned to him. "Can you not accuse people for just five minutes."

"Annie is right Den" agreed Bradford. "Now is not the time."

"Whatever" replied Den.

I continued to look around the lounge. I went over to the couch in the nearby corner that was facing away from the rest of the room. There was a trivia magazine on the ground near it.

"Clay was the ultimate trivia master" I thought to myself. "That magazine is definitely something he would read. Could it be he was lying on the couch here and was then attacked with the glass vase after getting up? What happened to cause him to get up from the couch?"

I looked around the lounge for a bit longer before leaving. I then went up to Bethany and Leah after exiting.

"Hey Leah, I have to ask you something" I said.

"Yes Annie?" replied Leah.

"What happened before Bat Wing's announcement that caused him to get you and Laurel?"

"We apparently fell asleep" Leah replied. "We were hanging out in Laurel's room and were in the process of eating some leftover sandwiches from lunch when we passed out. Bat Wing woke us up to tell us to get to the lounge."

"The sandwiches Grace made for lunch?" I asked.

"Yes" Grace replied.

"There was also a sandwich inside the lounge near Seth's body" I continued. "Obviously he was eating it."

"It seems Grace has some explaining to do during the class trial" replied Bethany.

"I guess so" I replied. "But I wanna have faith in her."

"I waved goodbye to Bethany and Leah before heading down the hallway. I decided to check out the cafeteria. I also wanted to talk to both Grace and Harry. I arrived at the cafeteria and headed inside to look for clues. I couldn't seem to find anything and the leftover sandwiches that Grace made appeared pretty normal sitting in the fridge. I decided to look elsewhere and left the cafeteria. I bumped into Harry on my way out.

"Hi Harry" I greeted.

"Hello again Annie" Harry returned the greeting sadly.

"How are you holding up?" I asked.

"...Fine" Harry replied.

"Hey Harry, if I recall... after lunch didn't you go off to hang with Clay?"

"...Correct. We played some pool in the game room."

"And after you left?"

"I wanted to get some fresh air in the courtyard for a bit and Clay wanted to continue reading a trivia magazine in the lounge. We agreed to split for later before meeting back up in the game room for more pool. That.. was the last time I saw him"

"I see."

"Are you suspecting you Annie?"

"No not at all Harry! It is just you were the last one that I know of to see Clay alive, so just trying to go from there."

"...Okay."

Without saying anything else, Harry headed into the cafeteria.

"Poor guy" I thought to myself.

I continued to walk to keep up with investigating. I decided to head to our rooms as usual just incase someone was hiding something there. I also realized I was still in my bra since I used my shirt to try to save Clay. I guess everyone was too on edge to mention it, even Maxwell. As I reached the hallway of our rooms, I came across Laurel.

"Hi Laurel" I greeted.

"Hey Annie" Laurel returned the greeting.

"Did you find anything?"

"I did actually!"

Laurel pulled out a small bag of white pills and a bottle from her pockets.

"What are they?" I asked.

"Poison and roofies" Laurel answered.

"What?!" I replied shocked.

I then saw the label on the bottle and knew it was a kind of poison. But as for the roofies...

"How do you know those are roofies?" I asked.

I been to quite a few parties and just know what kind of drugs are used" replied Laurel. "Roofies aren't anything new to me.

"Where did you find them at?"

"Near the wall. Outside Grace's room."

"I see. Do you believe the killer roofied the sandwiches you and Leah were eating? She told me what happened."

"I believe so, her and I both pass out and then roofies are discovered. They got ta be related."

"Anything else that appears fishy?"

"When Bat Wing woke Leah and I up, my phone was in the pocket I don't normally keep it in. That was certainly odd."

"You don't think you just put it there?" 

"No, I always keep my phone in the same pocket."

"I see."

"Well I'm gonna look elsewhere with the time we have left Annie. Good luck in your search. Oh yeah! Don't worry as I haven't seen Maxwell around here so hopefully he's gone. But I suggest covering up quickly as he might come back."

"Good advice."

Laurel waved to me before heading off. I immediately went into my room to get a shirt before heading into Grace's room to look for clues. I really hated to suspect Grace, but quite a few things do point to her. I however did not find anything in her room. I then checked out Laurel's room, besides a plate with one of Grace's sandwiches on it and two others with one bite in each on the floor, nothing. I then checked out Harry's room and found nothing. I took a a short break in my own room to collect my thoughts. It would appear the right now Grace is the most suspicious, but Harry also has to be focused on too. However everyone else minus Laurel, Leah, and Bradford couldn't be given a pass yet until an alibi was proved.

I checked out the remaining rooms until I heard the intercoms click on.

"Hey people!" yelled Bat Wing. "Courtroom now!"


	36. Chapter 36-4th Trial Heats Up

Despite my anxiety going on and off, I was trying my best to fill myself with determination on my walk to the courtroom. Since Gordon is no longer hear to make me feel better, I can just rely on someone to comfort me. I have to know how to feel in these situations.

I was the last one to arrive to the courtroom. With the exception of Den and Zoe, everyone looked scared or worried.

"Finally!" exclaimed Bat Wing. "Time to get the show on the road!"

Bat Wing lead us all into the courtroom where he flew to his chair and we took our usual places at our podiums. Portraits of Gordon, Clay, and Seth now had places in the circle of podiums. I couldn't help but shiver at seeing Gordon's portrait.

"Okay people!" said Bat Wing. "Before we begin, a quick go over on the rules. As always you will all make your arguments on who you think the killer or killers are. Then you will vote. If you vote correctly, then people who killed someone today will die. But if you vote incorrectly, everyone who is innocent will die and depending on how your votes go, a killer may be able to leave this school. Since this trial is about two murders, you will have to vote correctly on each victim's killer to survive this trial."

"I'm still unsure about all of that honestly" replied Maxwell.

"Damn it you're dumbass!" cried Bat Wing. "But let me go over every possiblity. If there is only one killer and you guys vote for that person for both murders, the killer will die and everyone else survives. If the killer isn't selected at all, they will survive and everyone else bites the dust. If the killer is only chosen for one of the murders, then everyone dies since the killer was still found out at least once and the rest of you guys voted wrong once."

"I think I get it" responded Maxwell.

"Just to be sure, now I'll tell you each possibility for if we have two killers in the courtroom" replied Bat Wing. "If both killers are selected for the murder they committed, they will both be executed while the remaining students live. However if neither killer is found out or only one is, then things will get a bit complicated."

"Please keep explaining" said Bethany."

"We then go by the order of the murders" continued Bat Wing. "If both votes are wrong, then the killer of the second victim and anyone who is innocent get executed while the first killer lives for a bit. But then since they failed to identify the second killer correctly, they also will have to be executed."

"Oh damn" said Den.

"Now for the outcome of the first vote correct and the second incorrect" continued Bat Wing. "The first killer will die, then all those are who innocent are next, leaving the second killer earning the right to leave this school. However, if the first vote is wrong and the second vote is right, then the second killer and everyone who is innocent will die and the first killer gets to leave."

"We get it already" stated Zoe. "Can we please just start already?"

"Yeah yeah" replied Bat Wing.

"We should begin by figuring out who was killed first." said Grace.

"Hang on Grace" cut in Bradford. "You're getting too far ahead. First we should just identify how Clay and Seth were killed."

"Agreed" agreed Zoe. "Get the basics out of the way first so any idiot here hopefully understands."

"First up should be Clay" I put in. "Bradford and I witnessed Clay in his final moment." He was bleeding from a cut across his throat and the file confirms that."

"Obviously the killer smashed the glass vase of flowers in the lounge to get a big enough piece of glass to slash Clay" added Den.

"I agree with that" agreed Bradford. "The glass vase appears to be the most obvious choice and nothing else was found that could be the murder weapon."

"That issue should be settled then" replied Bethany.

"If the glass vase was found smashed in the lounge, then Clay was also attacked in the lounge?" asked Harry.

"I think that can be agreed on" responded Leah.

"For sure" I agreed. "Bradford and I found Clay clinging to his life crawling out of the lounge. He was definitely attacked there."

"We should talk about Seth was killed now" added Laurel. "The file didn't really give out any clues on him."

"Well the fatass was found with a sandwich on the floor" replied Maxwell. "He probably choked."

"Maxwell!" growled Bethany. "Show some respect for the dead!"

"For real man" agreed Harry.

"Whatever" replied Maxwell.

"Could Seth of died from choking on his sandwich?" asked Grace.

"Not at all" replied Zoe. "His body showed no signs of choking."

"Also Seth was the ultimate eater" I added. "He knew how to consume large amounts of food in a short amount of time, so he should of known how to avoid choking."

"Also I found this" Laurel added pulling out the bottle of poison.

"Where did you find?" asked Harry.

"In the hallway of our rooms" replied Laurel.

"That is a good clue, but is it possible the killer killed Seth another way and left the bottle of poison to lead us down the wrong track?" asked Leah.

"Or maybe the killer left that bottle of poison near a certain room in the hallway for a reason" countered Den.

"Whose room was the bottle found by Laurel?" asked Bradford.

"Grace's" answered Laurel.

"That certainly is something to focus on" replied Zoe.

"Hey!" exclaimed Grace. "If I was the killer, why would I leave the bottle of poison near my own room?"

"That does make sense" I added. "The killer wouldn't want to draw attention to themselves by leaving the evidence near their room."

"How about this" suggested Den. "Grace put it there so she could say if she was the killer, she wouldn't do that. Thus leading us down the wrong path."

"Seth also was eating one of the sandwiches she made for lunch as well" added Maxwell.

"Wait!" exclaimed Grace. "This isn't enough for anything!"

"I'm so sorry Grace" replied Leah. "But something definitely was put in the sandwiches. Laurel and I fell asleep after taking one bite."

"Roofies" Laurel agreed while pulling out the pills."

"It appears the sandwiches definitely had some extra ingredients" responded Zoe. "Some were roofied and some were poisoned."

"But why would both be used?" asked Harry.

"Why don't we ask Grace?" suggested Maxwell.

"I didn't do anything!" exclaimed Grace.

"We can't go deciding who the killer is just yet" replied Bethany.

"I think this is a good lead so far" countered Den. "Grace poisoned some sandwiches in hopes of whoever eating one dying easily and roofied the rest just for an extra bonus of hoping someone would fall asleep and die in whatever way we wouldn't be able to discover."

"And it appears that Seth was poisoned, while Laurel and Leah simply fell asleep for a bit" replied Zoe.

"Please!" begged Grace. "You're wrong! I didn't do anything like that! I always made you all food so you wouldn't be hungry!" 

"Grace has always taken care of us when it came to food" I stated.

"Doesn't mean shit" countered Den.

"She could of simply building a trust and waiting for the time to strike" replied Zoe.

"I can't say for sure now if Grace is a killer" added Laurel. "But someone definitely roofied the sandwiches Leah and I ate."

"We need to think about this" replied Bethany. "When would Grace of been able to to add that stuff to her sandwiches."

"Seven of us had lunch together" added Harry. "Grace, Bethany, Laurel, Leah, Annie, Clay, and myself. Nobody saw any drugging or poisoning during lunch."

"And we all helped Grace clean up after we ate and still nothing like that happened" I replied. "Also we all left the cafeteria together."

"What about before any of you got there?" asked Maxwell.

"The dumbass actually has a point" agreed Den. "Grace could have had the normal sandwiches out for you guys to eat and the tampered with ones in the fridge."

"Was there extra sandwiches for later in the refrigerator?" asked Zoe.

"...Yes.. there was" replied Grace.

"I hate to say it, but it seems possible" said Bradford. "Grace could of poisoned and roofied the sandwiches before anyone else came down to the cafeteria and put them in the fridge for leftovers."

"As well as put the bottle and drugs near her room to try to throw suspicion away from herself" added Maxwell.

"And Seth being the heavy eater he is" added Zoe. "He got a sandwich to eat and it lead to his death."

"Please stop!" pleaded Grace. "I didn't kill anyone!"

"Can you prove that?" asked Den.

"Back off Den" growled Bethany. "Nothing has been decided yet."

"It is still possible for other people to be killer" I agreed.

"But I hate these kinds of thoughts" I thought to myself. "I'm sick of having to accuse my friends of being killers."


	37. Chapter 37-Who Killed Two?

"Can we vote now?" asked Maxwell. "I think it is pretty obvious that Grace killed Seth."

"It isn't!" exclaimed Grace.

"No you idiot" replied Zoe. "Even though Grace is suspicious, we still don't know who killed Clay.

"And if we even get one killer wrong, we're dead" added Harry.

"We need to talk about Clay's case now" said Laurel.

"I agreed" I replied.

"Since Bradford and Annie found Clay while he was in his dying moments, perhaps one of them should start that conversation" stated Den.

"Not much to say really" replied Bradford. "Annie and I were walking to the lounge and we found Clay with his throat slashed."

"Did Clay say anything before he died?" asked Bethany.

"Anything would help" added Leah.

"It wasn't much" I replied.

"He tried to say Annie's name and that it was no use when she tried to stop the bleeding with her shirt" added Bradford.

"That was fun for me" said Maxwell.

"Shut up Maxwell!" cried Leah.

"You are so disgusting!" shouted Laurel.

"After this trial is over, we're gonna have a nice, long talk Maxwell" growled Bethany.

"Sucks to be you perv" replied Den.

"Focus people" demanded Zoe. "Did Clay say anything else?"

"He said one more thing, but I didn't understand it" answered Bradford.

"Rie" I replied. "Clay said rie."

"Rie?" asked Harry.

"What the hell does that mean?" asked Den.

"We may not be able to figure it out due to the circumstances of Clay" replied Bethany.

"It was probably worthless crap that doesn't matter in the end" suggested Zoe. "We should move on."

"Who could of killed Clay?" asked Laurel.

"Since Grace probably killed Seth, she probably killed Clay too" suggested Maxwell.

"Shut up Maxwell!" cried Grace.

"There isn't any proof that Grace killed Clay" I defended.

"That might be true for now, but Grace could still be the killer" reminded Zoe.

"First we should talk about the details before throwing names into the air" cut in Bradford.

"Can we all agree that both murders happened around the same time?" asked Den.

"Why do you think that?" asked Harry.

"Well I was thinking if Grace was the killer, she might of looked for Seth if she suspected him of taking a poisoned sandwich and Clay witnessed his death since he was also in the lounge. Therefore, she killed Clay just to be safe" replied Den.

"No!" yelled Grace.

"I still haven't accepted Grace as the killer" I replied. "But I can get behind the deaths happening one after another and the killer being there to witness Seth's death regardless if he got a poisoned sandwich before hand."

"If we're going down this path, then Seth was killed first and Clay was killed second" responded Zoe.

"Which means we vote for Seth's killer, then Clay's killer" added Harry.

"But can we be absolutely positive all of this is right?" asked Leah.

"We can" I confirmed. "I believe Clay was lying down on the couch in the corner in the lounge that faces to the wall. When I investigated the lounge, I found a trivia magazine on the floor near the couch. That is something Clay would read."

"Right" agreed Laurel. "He was the ultimate trivia master."

"If Clay was lying on that couch" I continued. "The killer wouldn't of seem him when they walked in for Seth's death. Clay probably heard what happened and leapt up from the couch."

"And dropped his magazine in the process" added Bethany.

"Which lead the killer to improvise and hit Clay with the glass vase of flowers on the head" added Bradford."

"Which stunned him and gave the killer enough time to slash his throat" continued Harry.

"The killer might of even thought that one slash killed him" finished Den. "Clay might of gone down and the killer made their escape, but he tried his best to crawl away right before Annie and Bradford discovered him."

"But we agree that Seth got killed first and then Clay?" asked Leah.

"I would say so" I replied.

"Grace killed Seth and then Clay" stated Maxwell.

"It is certainly possible" agreed Zoe.

"No please!" begged Grace. "I didn't kill anyone! If you vote for me, we'll all be dead!"

"All except the killer" argued Bradford.

"Could Grace really be the killer?" I thought to myself.

I then realized the truth.

"No stop!" I cried. "Grace can't be the killer!"

"Proof it" demanded Zoe.

"If you insist that Zoe poisoned the sandwich that killed Seth and was in the lounge to both make sure I happens and kill Clay when she realized he was there too" I continued. "Why would she leave the sandwich in the lounge for us to find as evidence?"

"That does make sense" agreed Laurel.

"Right!" agreed Grace. "The sandwiches would easily be traced back to me and the cause of death for Seth, so why would I leave it in the lounge?"

"You could of forgot it" argued Maxwell. "We all agreed the killer didn't notice Clay was in the lounge or had planned to kill him and improvised. You were in a hurry to escape before someone notcied and left the sandwich in the lounge."

"Yes the killer was certainly in a hurry and had to think fast once they realized Clay was in the lounge" I replied. "But they were still calm about the whole thing, they didn't fully make sure Clay was dead. If Grace did poison the sandwich Seth ate, she would of disposed of it so we wouldn't of discovered it."

"I told you it wasn't me!" demanded Grace.

"It appears Grace can't be blamed as the killer" stated Bethany.

"She still could of poisoned and roofied the sandwiches" argued Den.

"But the killer had to be in the lounge to witness Seth's death and commit Clay's" argued Harry.

"And if that was me, I would of disposed of the sandwich" countered Grace.

"It appears we do have to reconsider the prime suspect" replied Zoe.

"It has to be someone" replied Leah. "Laurel and I were roofied!"

"Yeah" agreed Laurel.

"We'll definitely figure it out" replied Bradford.

"But who else is suspicious?" asked Bethany.

"Oh no" said Leah.

"What is it?" asked Den.

"I really don't want to accuse this person, but.." answered Leah.

"Spit it out!" demanded Maxwell.

"Don't bite your tongue" ordered Zoe. "If you have an idea on who a killer might be, you need to say so.

"I'm sorry Harry" replied Leah. "But could it be you?"

"What?!" asked Harry.

"Huh?" I asked.

"You think Harry might of killed someone?" asked Laurel.

"I'm not saying for sure I think Harry is a killer" replied Leah. "Only he might be suspicious."

"Why might Harry be suspicious?" asked Bradford.

"After we had lunch today and we all split up for the time" continued Leah. "Harry and Clay went off to the game room. Unless someone else saw Clay, Harry was the last one to see Clay alive before."

"That is true" agreed Grace. "Harry and Clay did walk off together after lunch."

"Well Harry certainly has a target on his back now" replied Zoe.

"Wait!" I cried. "That alone doesn't prove Harry is a killer."

"But he is suspicious now" argued Den.

"I'm sorry Harry" apologized Laurel. "But you do need to explain here."

"I didn't kill anyone!" replied Harry. "After lunch, Clay and I played some games in the game room. Then we decided to split for a bit before coming back to play some more. I went to the courtyard to get some fresh air and Clay decided to head to the lounge."

"The trivia magazine can definitely prove that" I agreed.

"Of course Clay was in the lounge, but Harry can't prove he left Clay" argued Zoe. "For all we know, they never even went to the game room. They could of just gone to the lounge where he killed him."

"Clay and Harry were good friends!" I countered.

"Doesn't mean anything" replied Zoe.

"Yeah" agreed Maxwell."

"But still" I continued. "If Harry and Clay only went to the lounge, then how could Harry have killed Seth with the poisoned sandwich?"

"This is true" agreed Bethany. "Nobody had the chance to tamper with the sandwiches during lunch."

"Remember there can be two different killers" replied Den. "Someone else could of poisoned the sandwich Seth ate and he was dead by the time Harry and Clay got to the lounge. Then once Harry sees he has a chance to kill Clay, he attacks him. He probably even hoped the fact there is two killers would lead suspicion away from him."

"We'll be voting for Seth's killer first" replied Bradford. "If we decide on just one killer killing them both and Harry and someone else are the killers and we only got the first killer right, then only Harry would be leaving this school alive."

"How about this?" suggested Zoe. "Maybe Harry and Clay did off to the game room to play for a bit and actually did split. While Harry is off on his own, he tampers with the sandwiches and brings one to the lounge with the intention on offering it to Clay. However, Seth is already in the lounge before Harry arrives."

"The fat boy did eat on a lot there" agreed Maxwell.

"Shut up" ordered Zoe. "Seth takes the sandwich from Harry and dies from the poison and Clay is also in the lounge and notices Seth dying with Harry not doing anything. Clay realized the truth and Harry has to act fast to make sure he isn't discovered."

"Harry was down during the investigation" replied Den. "He probably had some remorse over the whole thing, but he still did it."

"Where would I even of gotten the poison from?" asked Harry. "The roofies as well?"

"There doesn't seem to be an answer" replied Bethany.

"If that is the case, then anyone was capable of obtaining them and using them" replied Zoe.

"Including Harry" added Maxwell.

"Wait!" I cried. "You only suspect Harry because it can be proved he was with Clay, but that doesn't mean he tampered with the sandwiches or killed anyone. Anyone without an alibi could easily be the killer as well!"

"I guess we should reveal what we were doing before Annie and Bradford discovered the bodies" replied Grace.

"Well Laurel and I should be in the clear" replied Leah. "After lunch we were together the whole time."

"That is right" confirmed Laurel. "Also don't forget we both ate roofied sandwiches, so we were asleep."

"We can eliminate both Laurel and Leah as potential suspects" decided Zoe.

"You can do the same for Annie and myself" replied Bradford. "Since we discovered the bodies."

"No freaking way jackass" replied Den. "It still could have been either of you."

"I don't think so" I countered. "During Clay's final breaths, he never accused either of us of being the killer or showed any signs that either of us attacked him."

"That is right!" agreed Bradford.

"Very well"groaned Zoe. "Annie and Bradford are also crossed off the list."

"Which would leave Den, Zoe, Maxwell, Harry, Grace, and myself as the remaining suspects" said Bethany. "But we can easily cross off a couple more people."

"Who would that be?" asked Maxwell.

"Me for one" replied Grace. "We already decided a killer would have had to be in the lounge for both murders. If I poisoned Seth, I would of disposed of the sandwich. Also right before Bat Wing's announcement, I was swimming with Annie and Bethany for a decent amount of time."

"Since Bradford and I discovered Clay in his dying moments" I continued. The killer attacked him not long before we arrived at the lounge, so that would also prove Grace didn't do it."

"The same would go for me as well" agreed Bethany. "Annie, Grace, and I were all swimming while the murders were happening or at the very least split up right as they happened."

"Well where did you and Grace head off to just to confirm?" asked Den.

"I headed in the direction of the gym" replied Bethany.

"That is true" confirmed Grace. "And Annie can confirm I headed off to the kitchen while she headed to the lounge."

"Indeed" I confirmed. "Bethany and Grace aren't killers."

"With those two out" replied Laurel. "That would just leave Den, Maxwell, Zoe, and Harry."

"Harry is still the most suspicious!" declared Maxwell.

"It could still be you Maxwell" argued Bethany.

"The four of you need to tell us what you were doing right before Bat Wing's announcement and if you have an alibi" declared Leah.

"I was simply reading in the library" said Zoe. "But unfortunately for me, I do not have an alibi."

"I was just chilling in my room and going for a walk" answered Den.

"I was hiding in my room after Bethany saw me watching you guys in the pool" said Maxwell.

"Pervert!" yelled Laurel.

"Like I said before, I was simply getting some fresh air in the courtyard after Clay and I left the game room to take a break from playing" confirmed Harry. "But no, I didn't run into anyone, so I don't have an alibi."

"Any of you four could be a killer right now" said Bradford.

"After lunch I did run into and talk to Den, Maxwell, and Zoe" I revealed. "But that was before I went swimming, therefore all three of them had the time to commit crimes."

"What can we do here?" asked Grace. "We can't seem to narrow down the suspects anymore."

"We'll have to go with our most suspected person then" answered Den.

"Which is Harry!" replied Maxwell.

"I didn't do it!" cried Harry.

"We can't just decide it was Harry just like that!" I cried.

"There still might be two killers" agreed Bethany.

"What other choice do we have?" asked Den. "We have to vote and if we don't have a definite answer, we go with our least likely one."

"Bye bye Harry" replied Maxwell.

"Shut up you creep!" yelled Laurel.

I had to think fast! I still believed in Harry and couldn't accept the fact he killed Clay or Seth. And if we didn't have all the facts, everyone else would just guess and we would all be dead! I went back over the whole case several times in my head. I payed attention to every little detail to find something we missed or overlooked! Anxiety was trying to get in the way of my thinking, but I pushed it aside! I kept thinking and...

"Can it be?!" I thought to myself. "This person killed Seth and Clay?!"


	38. Chapter 38-You're the Killer!

"We have nothing left to freaking discuss" said Den. "Stop wasting time and vote already."

"You damn fool!" growled Bethany. "We can't vote if we aren't 100 percent sure the person we're voting for is the killer! Remember our lives are all on the chopping block!"

"But like Den said, we having nothing left to discuss" replied Maxwell. "All we can do is guess for the least likely person."

"Which would be Harry" agreed Zoe.

"I'm not a killer!" replied Harry.

"It hasn't been proven Harry killed anyone!" agreed Grace.

"What about you three?!" declared Laurel. "Den, Maxwell, and Zoe! All three of you have no alibi and I would put you three more likely to be a killer in terms of personality."

"Huh?" asked Maxwell.

"What the hell did you say bitch?!" growled Maxwell.

"Now is not the time to get personal and emotional" ordered Zoe.

"Laurel is right though" agreed Leah. "Den you pretty much have been loose cannon this whole time and you're a criminal."

"Shut the hell up you stupid bitch!" yelled Den.

"Maxwell, you're a disgusting, disturbing, and creepy individual" judged Bethany. "I hate to judge, but your behavior the entire time we have been in this school is nothing shy away from someone who would kill."

"What did I do?" Maxwell.

"Seriously!?" cried Laurel.

"Don't forget Zoe" stated Harry. "You only care about yourself, your words from the past prove other wise. Why should we think you wouldn't kill anyone?"

"This isn't about my personality you idiot" replied Zoe. "This is about solving these murders."

"Guys we need to calm down!" ordered Bradford.

It was no use though. Everyone except Bradford and I argued about what we should do next and who the killer could be. I thought fast, but I carefully thought about my new theory and ideas on who the killer is. The one person who could of killed both Seth and Clay.

"This is it" I thought to myself. "This is the best thing we got of who a killer could be.

"Stop!" I shouted.

Everyone turned to look at me.

"What is it Annie?" asked Bradford.

'What now?" demanded Zoe.

"I... I think... I think I know who killed Seth and Clay!" I declared.

"What?!" cried Grace.

"Who did it?!" demanded Den.

"Spit it out!" ordered Maxwell.

"Leah" I finished. "I believe Leah is the one who killed both Seth and Clay.

"What!?" shrieked Leah.

"How!?" cried Laurel.

"Annie.. are you sure?" asked Harry.

"But Leah and Laurel were roofied during the murders" replied Bradford.

"That is a fact" I confirmed. "Roofies were involved, but there is something about that fact we may have overlooked"

"What would that be?" asked Bethany.

"I admit, some things will need to be cleared up" I confessed. "But right now, I believe Leah roofied Laurel and also pretended to be roofied. And then while Laurel is asleep, she goes to the lounge to kill both Seth and Clay. Then goes back to Laurel's room and pretends to be asleep until Bat Wing comes to get them."

"Woah!" cried Maxwell.

"Interesting theory" complimented Zoe.

"Wait! Hold on Annie!" cried Leah. "Both Laurel and I were drugged! Why do you think it was me all of a sudden?!"

"Yeah!" agreed Laurel. "Both Leah and I got roofied.

"But can you know for sure?" I asked. "It wouldn't be hard for Leah to pretend to be drugged and fall pass out when Laurel actually did. And while Laurel is asleep, she is free to do whatever and then go back to acting when Bat Wing comes to Laurel's room."

"I see" replied Bradford.

"I guess that is possible" agreed Den. "However, wouldn't that make both Leah and Laurel suspects? What else do you have to points the blame at Leah?"

"He is right!" agreed Leah. "Laurel could of also done all that!"

"Leah?" Laurel asked surprised.

"Laurel was also the one to have the roofies and poison" stated Zoe. "Just a thought, she could of acted like she found them to point the suspicion else where, while the fact is she could of used them."

"I didn't do it!" cried Laurel.

"I agree" I replied. "Laurel didn't kill anyone, it was all Leah."

"Prove it" ordered Zoe.

"Laurel" I began. "Weren't you and Leah eating some leftover sandwiches in your room before you passed out?"

"Correct" confirmed Laurel.

"Who brought the sandwiches?"

"It was.. Leah!"

Laurel appeared shocked with the realization that it was looking like Leah was the killer.

"Did you both go to the cafeteria to get the sandwiches?" I asked.

"No, Leah went to get them while I waited in my room!" confirmed Laurel.

"This is where I'm going" I continued. "Leah could of poisoned and roofied the sandwiches if she was alone."

"It isn't true!" yelled Leah. "It was Laurel's idea to get sandwiches and she went to get them while I waited in her room! It was Laurel!"

"You're lying!" disagreed Laurel.

"Girls, please calm down" urged Bethany.

"Please!" begged Grace.

"We still haven't discovered the true identity of the killer, but this should narrow it down to both either Laurel or Leah if they can't agree on who did what" replied Zoe.

"One of them is lying" said Den.

"And the liar is the one who killed Seth and Clay" agreed Maxwell.

"Please continue Annie" urged Harry. "Why do you think it was Leah?"

"Why like I said" I continued. "Leah got the sandwiches from the cafeteria. She poisoned one and roofied the one Laurel would eat. Leah then went back to Laurel's room to roofie Laurel. She then pretended to also pass out while Laurel actually did. She then left Laurel's room to go to the lounge where Seth was there as he often spent his time there. Leah offered him the poisoned sandwich and Seth being the eater he is, accepted of course. Seth died shortly after biting the poisoned sandwich and that was all Leah planned to do. Unfortunately for her, she hadn't noticed Clay was in the lounge as well. He jumped up from the couch he was lying on and most likely tried to run out of the lounge, so Leah had to act fact. She didn't plan a double murder, but she had no choice. She would be easily found out with Clay as a witness. Leah attacked Clay with the glass vase of flowers and slashed his throat with a big piece of glass. Also unfortunately for her, she didn't stick around long enough to make sure Clay was dead. Leah most likely washed off any evidence of blood she might of gotten on her from Clay's murder and left the lounge. She returned to Laurel's room and pretended to be roofied until Bat Wing arrived."

"You think that is how it went down?!" asked Grace.

"No.. it really was Leah?" asked Laurel.

"That isn't enough to prove it was me!" yelled Leah. "It still could of have been Laurel!"

"I do see one flaw in your theory Annie" replied Den. "If it was Leah who drugged Laurel, obviously she closed the door to the room before she went to the lounge. How would Leah get back into Laurel's room after the murders? She would of needed Laurel's phone to get back into that room and Leah would have been suspicious if Laurel woke up after being drugged and only she was in the room."

"Easy" I replied. "Leah took Laurel's phone before she left the room. After she got back to the room, she used it to enter and put it back on Laurel before she faked being passed out. However, she made the mistake of putting Laurel's phone in the wrong pocket."

"That is right!" cried Laurel. "When I woke up, I noticed my phone was in the other pocket. I told this to Annie during the investigation."

"This still doesn't prove me guilty and Laurel innocent!" cried Leah. "Laurel still could of done all of that! Also if it was her, it would have been easier to use her phone that was already on her to get back in her room!"

"This is true" agreed Maxwell. "Also Laurel could of put it in her other pocket on purpose, lied to Annie about it, and prepared herself to blame Leah if needed."

"You constantly amaze me Maxwell with the fact you can actually think sometimes" replied Den.

"Shut up" ordered Zoe. "Anyway Annie, why are you so sure it was Leah just with this logic?"

"I know it has to be Leah" I replied. "The remaining evidence I have left should prove it."

"You have more?!" exclaimed Leah. "Why are you so sure it was me all of a sudden?!"

"The final word Clay said as he died" I replied. "Do you remember what it was Bradford?"

"Clay was saying rie I believe" answered Bradford.

"I asked Clay who tried to kill him before he said that."

"This is true, I can confirm."

"But how does saying rie point to Leah?" asked Grace.

"Clay was just about to die" I replied. "He was having trouble speaking due to his throat being slashed. He didn't have the energy to fully answer my question right before he died. When Clay said rie, he was trying to say rider. And by rider, he meant the ultimate rider Leah Daniels."

"Oh.. my god!" cried Laurel.

"No way!" shouted Bradford.

"I see" replied Zoe.

"No!" yelled Leah. "It wasn't me! I didn't do it! I didn't kill Seth or Clay."

"Give it up Leah" I ordered. "Clay couldn't of meant anything else besides rider when he said rie. Just stop this."

"No!" cried Leah. "... Wait! I think I got it!"

"Got what?" asked Harry.

"What if we really had two killers?" suggested Leah. "What if someone poisoned the sandwiches and Seth took one he could eat in the lounge. He sees Clay is there all alone when he gets there and decides to take advantage of the opportunity."

"You're suggesting Seth killed Clay?" asked Bethany.

"Yeah!" replied Leah. "And after Seth kills Clay, he takes a bite of the sandwich and dies from the poison. We need to find out who really poisoned the sandwiches!"

"Cut the crap Leah" ordered Zoe. "Your attempts are so damn desperate and pitiful at this point."

"What?!" cried Leah.

"Just stop it" replied Den. "We know it has to be you now."

"Right" agreed Bradford. "Before you were trying so hard to pin it all on Laurel and you're suggesting that Seth killed Clay and the killer who killed Seth is unknown?"

"Plus it was also proven that either Laurel or you lied before" added Bethany. "We can definitely confirm that Laurel was telling the truth and you were lying."

"Clay didn't say anything about Seth during his final words" I stated. "He used his last breath to try to reveal the name of the one and only killer."

"Too bad you didn't make sure Clay was dead before leaving the lounge" added Maxwell.

"..Leah" said Laurel.

"No please!" cried Leah. "I didn't do it! I didn't do it!"

"Bat Wing" started Grace. "We're ready to vote now."

"You got it guys!" replied Bat Wing. "Get ready to vote!"

Once again, the screens came down for us to select our vote. I quickly voted for Leah twice and everyone else besides her did as well. She had started to cry and panic.

"Please guys!" cried Leah. "I didn't kill them! I didn't!"

"Bat Wing will be the judge of that" replied Zoe.

"Good job guys!" cried Bat Wing. "This will be four times in a row you got the killer right! The killer of both Seth and Clay was Leah Daniels!"


	39. Chapter 39-Another One Bites Dust

"Looks like you were right once again Annie" said Zoe.

"I just can't... believe this" replied Laurel.

"Leah... how could you?" asked Harry.

Leah just stood there with tears in her eyes as she realized what was about to happen.

"Please Leah" pleaded Grace.

"We would like to know why.." started Bethany.

"Why you freaking killed two people" interrupted Den.

"Den!" I cried.

"He has a point though" defended Maxwell.

"Now isn't the time for this crap" demanded Bradford.

"Please Leah" begged Laurel. "Tell us why."

Leah just stood there slowly crying before speaking up.

"I... I.. was scared" replied Leah.

"What?" asked Maxwell.

"I was just scared!" cried Leah. "I was scared! I was scared I was going to be killed!"

"Leah..." I tried to say.

"I know... what I did was horribly wrong and unforgivable" continued Leah. "But.. I couldn't take being trapped in this place anymore! I was just... so scared someone was gonna kill me!"

"Noted" replied Zoe.

"We already had three murders!" continued Leah. "Three women killed by three men, I just knew a man would target me soon!"

"Yeah that totally isn't sexist at all" replied Den.

"Shut up!" yelled Leah. "Shut the hell up!"

"Den, stop it" ordered Bethany.

"That is a really good point though" I thought to myself. "Leah is definitely the feminist type and even mentioned before she thought all the guys here were capable of murder. And this trial was the first time a guy was killed, I really should of considered that."

"Don't forget! We just got done wrapping up the last murder and class trial!" continued Leah. "I had to escape now before a man killed me!"

"While all the men and five women were got executed so you could walk out of here alive" replied Harry.

"I... I know!" agreed Leah. "I didn't want anyone else to be sacrificed! But I just had to escape from this school no matter what!"

"You certainly wasted no time" replied Zoe.

"Yeah" agreed Bradford. "Bat Wing didn't even have time to launch his next motive."

"Oh my.. god!" cried Laurel as tears started to run down her face.

"Where did you find the poison and the roofies you used in my sandwiches?" asked Grace.

"The storage room" answered Leah. "I found them in the storage room awhile ago and thought I should hold onto them."

"Incase you ever decided to murder someone?" asked Den.

"Den!" growled Bethany.

"But yes" continued Leah. "I thought of a plan to drug the sandwiches Grace had made to kill Seth. Like Laurel said before, while we were together I insisted on walking around to make sure Seth was in the lounge and no one else was around."

"But you never noticed Clay was also in the lounge?" asked Harry.

"...Yes!" cried Leah. "I didn't want to or even plan on killing Clay! My only target was Seth! I just..." 

"You only killed Clay because he was there when you killed Seth and you knew if he left to tell anyone, you would have been discovered before the trial even started" replied Zoe.

Leah only teared up more with those words.

"I'm sorry Harry" apologized Leah. "...I'm sorry everyone. I'm sorry.. Clay."

"What about Seth?" asked Maxwell.

"No!" cried Leah. "Seth was a cruel individual the whole time he was here! If it wasn't him, it would have been Den, Bradford, or you Maxwell!"

Bradford looked down in shame at that, while Den only frowned and Maxwell looked confused.

"Let's not discuss that matter anymore" suggested Bethany.

"You got that right!" cried Bat Wing. "Time for Leah's execution!"

"No!" I shouted.

"Don't!" cried Laurel.

"You can't!" cried Grace.

"I most certainly can" replied Bat Wing.

"I'm sorry guys" sobbed Leah. "This is what I get. I'm sorry."

"Here we go!" Bat Wing shouted.

Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling as the hole in the wall opened up and a chain came flying out and chained up Leah by the neck. It then quickly pulled her into the hole in the wall and it closed up. The giant screen came down to us again. My anxiety was off the charts, I nearly fell down.

"Here we go again" said Maxwell.

"This.. will be ugly" said Den.

"Monster!" shouted Bethany.

The screen turned on to reveal Leah sitting on the ground with her hands chained behind her back to a fence. She struggled to escape as she cried. Bat Wing then appeared with what appeared with a giant bucket of honey.

"What the hell is he gonna do?" asked Bradford.

Bat Wing quickly poured the giant bucket of honey onto Leah, which covered her whole body in honey. He then pulled from the side a giant bag of oats, which he also poured over Leah's body. Leah continued to struggle as Bat Wing flew away and five horses galloped over to Leah.

"Oh my god!" shouted Grace.

"No... No!" cried Laurel.

"Leah!" I yelled.

The five horses reached Leah and quickly started to eat the oats off of her body, which to our horror and disgust also pulled off pieces of Leah's flesh as the horses ate the oats. The five horses spent several long moments ripping Leah apart as they bit off her skin and she started to bleed. Soon Leah stopped struggling and went limp as the horses finished eating and galloped away. Leah's half eaten body just lay there on screen all bloody and still covered in honey. Eventually, the screen shut off and was pulled up.

To say we were in despair was an understatement. Laurel and Grace had collapsed on the ground sobbing their eyes out as Bethany did her best to keep her composure and comfort both of them. Harry simply stared at the wall. Maxwell was breathing heavily as Den continued to look at the spot the screen had been. Zoe simply kept her stone cold face and thought to herself as Bradford rushed over to me to make sure I was okay. I didn't even notice him as he reached me, I was just lost in anxiety and despair. Bat Wing flew back down to us.

"Okay students!" cried Bat Wing. "That concludes our latest class trial and I now see we have reached the half way point! Nine people have died beautiful deaths while only nine remain!"

"Shut up bastard!" cried Den.

"This is all your fault!" shouted Bradford.

"My fault? What did I do?" asked Bat Wing.

"Are you kidding me?!" cried Grace. "This is all your fault!" 

"You... you been making us compete in this horrible thing you call a game!" cried Laurel. "You pushed them into killing!"

"Maybe" thought Bat Wing. "But you guys are the ones who keep it going my murdering each other."

"Be gone!" ordered Bethany. "Get out of our sight!"

"Suite yourself" replied Bat Wing. "Just remember what I said." 

Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling, leaving us in our despair.

"We should leave this courtroom" suggested Zoe.

"Agreed" replied Bethany. "Staying here longer than we need to never helps at all."

Slowly we all exited the courtroom and gathered in the hallway.

"What do we do now?" asked Maxwell.

"I... I don't know" replied Laurel.

"We... we keep going" said Harry.

"Harry is right" agreed Bethany. "We can't give into Bat Wing's way. We have to keep pushing through and find a way out of this school."

"Are you seriously still yapping about that stupid shit?" asked Den.

"Den!" cried Grace.

"How can you say that at a time like this?!" I asked.

"You keep thinking we're all gonna escape here together, yet more deaths keeping happening" added Zoe. "Like Bat Wing said, we are down to only nine people."

"But..." I tried to say.

"Shut up" ordered Zoe. "I've had enough of you people for today and a few more probably."

Zoe walked off down the hallway.

"She... she is such a bitch." said Laurel.

"You got that right, but she is right too" replied Den. "I've had enough of you guys."

Den also walked away from the group. Maxwell nervously looked around at us before running off.

"Who.. who needs those assholess anyway" said Laurel.

"Laurel" started Bethany. "I understand your frustration with them, but we must not hold onto any hostility. It will only ensure another murder happens."

"Bethany is right" agreed Grace. "We still have to stand united."

"And strong" added Harry.

"And hopeful" I added.

"It sure has been a long day guys" stated Bradford. "We should call it a night and get some sleep, then regroup in the morning."

"Since when are you all friendly and not so cocky?" asked Harry.

"Easy" I replied "Bradford is trying to change for the better."

The others looked somewhat suspicious, but nothing else was said. We all called it a night and returned to our rooms. I got changed and got into bed. Despair and anxiety were still filling me, but I knew I had to keep fighting.


	40. Chapter 40-4th Wall Breaks

I woke up late the next morning feeling extremely anxious from the horrible, horrible day we had yesterday. I sat on my bed hugging myself, while trying not to cry.

"Gordon!" I cried to myself. "I can't do this without you! I need you here to make me feel safe!"

But it was no use thinking thoughts like that anymore. Gordon had tried too hard to keep me safe and ended up killing Mara and getting himself executed by Bat Wing in the process. I got out of bed to change and do my usual morning routine before heading out of my room. I checked my phone and saw it was nearly noon and I was starving. I hurried down to the cafeteria and hoped Grace made another delicious lunch.

Once I arrived at the cafeteria and headed inside I saw Bethany, Grace, Laurel, and Harry sitting down at a table eating and talking with each other. I immediately walked over to them.

"Hey guys" I greeted.

"Hey Annie!" Laurel returned the greeting.

"How are you doing?" asked Bethany.

"Help yourself to some lunch at the nearby table and join us" replied Grace.

"I'm doing better, thanks for asking and I sure will" I responded.

I quickly got some lunch and sat down with my friends to eat. Bethany, Grace, and Laurel seemed to be a in pretty good mood for the most part, but I could tell Harry was still down. He most likely hasn't gotten over Clay's murder yet.

"Are you alright Harry?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine" Harry replied. "Try not to worry about me."

"We're all worried about you Harry" said Grace. "You too Grace, we all really need to look out for each other now."

"Agreed" agreed Bethany.

Bradford then walked into the cafeteria and all our glances met.

"Hey Bradford" I called. "Come join us."

Bradford looked a little nervous, but slowly came over to join us. He also got some food and sat down at our table.

"Hey" greeted Bradford.

"Hey Bradford" replied Laurel.

"How are you doing?" asked Bethany.

"Fine" replied Bradford.

"You done being Den's lackey?" asked Harry.

"Harry!" I gasped.

"That was uncalled for and really rude" lectured Bethany.

"... You're right. I'm sorry Bradford" apologized Harry.

"No it is alright" confirmed Bradford. "I deserved it. I have been nothing but a cruel nuisance both in this school and my entire life."

"...Bradford" I replied shocked.

"I thought my talent made me better than everyone else, so I was always such a cocky asshole" continued Bradford. "And even with being trapped in this school and forced into this killing game, my persona didn't still stayed. I then took it too far by harassing Gordon and Annie and look what I played a part in!"

Bradford lowered his head in shame.

"Bradford" I said.

Bradford turned to look at me.

"I already told you I have forgiven you" I continued. "You don't need to carry this burden."

"If you can admit your mistakes and attempt to change for the better, you are already doing better" added Bethany.

"We all have to stick together" said Laurel. "We have a better chance to escape here if we do!"

Bradford smiled at everyone.

"That was quite the shift in personality there Bradford" stated Grace.

"I know" agreed Harry. "Going from cocky to seeking redemption."

"Definitely the biggest case of character development this story has had" stated Bradford.

"I would have to agree with you there" I replied. "Most of our deceased classmates didn't develop much character."

"Though to be fair, they weren't hear long enough to actually do any developing" defended Laurel.

"Poor Shauna was nice, but definitely the worrying type" stated Harry.

"Honestly, the readers probably got nothing out of her" replied Bethany. "They probably think she was the same character as Grace and Laurel."

"Hey now" argued Grace. "As the ultimate event planner, I always been the mother of this group with my cooking for you guys, that is what made me stand out."

"As since I'm the ultimate radio personality, I always been the life of the party" replied Laurel. "Don't forget my sick time as the DJ for our dinner party."

"I'm sorry Laurel" replied Bradford. 'But you been the more upset type than party type recently."

"Yeah whatever!" whined Laurel.

"What about Troy?" I asked. "He was also nice, but the more serious type with focusing on his talent and his brother."

"The readers definitely thought Troy was the same character as Harry and Clay since all they got from those three was nice guys" replied Laurel.

"No way!" argued Harry. "Annie is right on Troy was the more serious type while I'm the overall nice guy type, but have recently been depressed over the death of Clay."

"I figured that Clay was definitely a nice guy, but was also more focused on his trivia knowledge since he was the ultimate trivia master" replied Grace. "Had he had more time for development, that would of shown."

"Speaking of the same characters, wasn't Dianna the same character as Bethany?" asked Bradford.

"Dianna and were really similar for sure" replied Bethany. "But I'm the more mature and wise athlete, sort of like Sakura Oogami. Dianna was more of the excited athlete type."

"Don't forget Barry" I said. "He was definitely his own character as the extremely shy and nervous type."

"He may of grew out of his shell more had the writer decided to keep him around a little longer" agreed Laurel.

"Now we should talk about Mara" stated Grace. "I think her and Zoe were pretty much the same character."

"Zoe and Mara are both bitches" agreed Bradford." But Mara was simply a stuck up bitch, while Zoe is more cruel, uncaring about others, and ice cold."

"Like a female Byakuya Togami" compared Harry.

"Gordon was definitely his own character" I replied sadly. "He was pretty much the second main character since I spent so much time with him."

"Gordon was for sure the type to care, look after, and make sure we were all standing strong" agreed Laurel.

"What about Seth?" asked Bradford. "He was pretty simple being a rude, gluttonous eater."

"He was certainly one of a kind" agreed Bethany.

"Then we come to Leah" said Laurel. "It may of taken her a bit of development, but in the end she was the strong feminist type."

"Sort of like Mahiru Koizami" agreed Harry.

"Maxwell is obviously a creepy pervert" shivered Grace. "That is all the needs to be said about him."

"And pretty stupid" agreed Laurel.

"Den is the hotheaded, violent, angry loner type" stated Bradford. "I would say a more angry Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu with a bit of Mondo Owado angry spice added in."

"That about covers everyone" I replied. "Minus me."

"Well Annie" began Grace. "Obviously you're the main character of this story."

"Pretty much you're the mentally ill, nice girl who just wants to help people."

"Though I'm sorry to say Annie" apologized Bethany. "You really haven't helped anyone since we been stuck in this school."

"In fact, more than once others have had to help you" agreed Laurel.

"That is so true!" I realized in my head. "I'm the ultimate therapist and I haven't helped anyone at all!"

"Well that should be enough breaking the fourth wall for now" replied Bradford.

"Agreed" I replied. "We should enjoy this nice lunch Grace made for us."

"But after we eat, we should really focus on finding a way out of this school" replied Bethany.

"We haven't done that in a while" agreed Harry. "Just been doing daily life when there wasn't any murders."

"Then we should hop to it then after lunch!" exclaimed Laurel.

"But first enjoy the meal" replied Grace.

After many fourth wall breaks, the six of us enjoyed a nice lunch that Grace had prepared for us.


	41. Chapter 41-Clues

Just like the others, I started my own search to investigate. While I was more in favor of searching in teams, everyone else wanted to split up to cover more ground. I didn't think anyone should be alone at a time like this, but nothing could be done. I decided to look around in the library. I passed Den, Zoe, and Maxwell on the way over. Although both Den and Zoe ignored me and Maxwell just smiled creepily at me, which made me run away from him as fast as I could. I reached the library to begin looking for an escape or anything that might just give us a little bit of hope.

I spent probably an hour looking around the library for that hope, but unfortunately I had no luck. I was about ready to take a break when I noticed a piece of paper sticking out from a book on a shelf. I walked over to that shelf and snatched the piece of paper from the book. The piece of paper simply read "for no hope and all despair, go back to the entrance."

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked myself.

Despair is something I certainly don't need and hope is what I need the most now. But this paper was left here for a reason, most likely to be discovered. I decided to head to the entrance to the library to see if the note had any merit to it. I reached the entrance only to find Bat Wing standing by there looking at me. I nearly fell back in fear.

"Bat Wing!?" I cried.

"You got it sweetheart!" replied Bat Wing. "The one and only!"

"What... what are you doing here?" I asked in fear. "And... what is... with this paper?"

"Hahaha!" laughed Bat Wing. "Well I figured it can be a congrats for you and the other remaining students for making it to the half way mark. Of course it had to be done my way! Hahaha!"

"What?" I asked confused.

"Check these out" replied Bat Wing.

Bat Wing tossed some more pieces of paper at me. They all landed at my feet. Nervously, I scooped them up to take a look at them. They were all parts of newspaper headlines. They read "World at War," "Terrorists Attacks at Large, and "Future Hope High School on Lockdown."

"What... just what are all these?" I asked Bat Wing.

"Hahaha!" laughed Bat Wing again. "Sorry, but that is all she wrote for now. You don't get any straight answers, but I suppose I can be nice and give you some piss poor attempts at finding hope!"

"Is he just messing with me?" I asked myself.

"To wrap up your congrats, I can call your remaining classmates here!" continued Bat Wing. "You can all fail at finding hope together!"

"Sure..." I replied nervously.

The intercoms clicked on.

"Attention students!" shouted Bat Wing. "Everyone get to the library now for a special surprise!"

The intercoms clicked off and Bat Wing turned back to me.

"Good luck ultimate therapist" wished Bat Wing.

He then flew out of the library, which left me all alone with what was suppose to be our hope. I waited for several minutes for the others to arrive. They arrived one by one with Maxwell being the last to arrive. I immediately noticed he had two black eyes.

"What happened to your eyes Maxwell?" I asked.

"Uhhhhh..." replied Maxwell.

"Looks like someone finally gave him what he deserves" answered Laurel.

"I took a break from looking around to relax in my room for a bit" stated Bethany. "When I opened my door to leave Maxwell was there trying to peak under my door."

"Not cool Maxwell" replied Harry.

"Pervert" added Den.

"Apparently he mistook my room for Laurel's" continued Bethany. "I had finally had enough of his perverted actions and simply gave him two nice punches to the face."

"And now my eyes hurt!" complained Maxwell.

"Then maybe you should stop bothering the girls" replied Zoe.

"And stop being a pervert!" added Grace.

"Okay then" I thought to myself. "But that isn't important now!"

"I found some clues in the library just now guys" I said. "Well actually no, Bat Wing gave them to me."

"Bat Wing gave you clues?" asked Bradford.

"I came here to look around for anything that might help us" I continued. "Bat Wing showed up and gave us these as a congrats for getting to the half way point."

I held up the headlines for everyone to see.

"Just what exactly are these?" asked Bethany.

"More importantly, what do they all mean in the end?" asked Zoe.

"We don't know what exactly happened, but we do have an idea" added Harry.

"I think it is safe to say that everyone was under attack by some large terrorist group" said Grace.

"And Future Hope High School was shut down due to a relation to the terrorists" added Bradford.

"But what does it all have to do with us?" asked Laurel.

"Perhaps we escaped the bloodbath of war by hiding inside this high school?" asked Bethany.

"But why can't any of us remember how we got here or anything really before that?" replied Maxwell.

"Something definitely happened" I answered. "We may not have a full answer now, but we know something happened."

"Don't be dumb" stated Den.

"What?" I replied confused.

"Why are all of you getting so wrapped up in a bunch of words on paper?" asked Den. "This doesn't prove shit! Bat Wing could of easily made these to confuse us and so fair it seems to be working."

"We haven't decided on anything" rebutted Grace. "For now it is just something to think about."

"You're thinking about a waste of time" replied Den. "Screw a bunch of fake headline and focus on finding a way out of this shit hole!"

"You need to cool down Den" demanded Harry.

"Or what Arrowhead?!" replied Den.

"Enough!" shouted Bethany. "Stop this arguing at once!"

"We need to..." started Laurel.

"Shut up" ordered Zoe. "Don't bother."

"Huh?" asked Bradford.

"While what Annie had to show us did somewhat interest me" continued Zoe. "That was all. I don't need to hear another stupid speech about teamwork. Just look where that has got us."

"Nine people are dead and only nine people remain" stated Maxwell.

"Exactly" finished Zoe.

Zoe then walked away from the rest of us and out of the library.

"I have got to get out of here" said Den.

Den also walked out of the library. Maxwell looked around at us before quickly hurrying out of there as well.

"What are we gonna do guys?" asked Laurel.

"We get back to searching for a way out" replied Bradford.

"Without murder" added Bethany.

"Of course" I agreed hopefully.

But deep inside my hope was kind of low.


	42. Chapter 42-Cold Motive

After finding those "headlines" the next couple days seemed to go by pretty fast. Everyone spent more time looking around the school again for a way out or anymore clues. When we weren't searching, we were enjoying what we could of our daily life at Future Hope High School. I enjoyed several good meals with Bradford, Harry, Grace, Laurel, and Bethany. Talking to each other and enjoying the wonderful food Grace made so was just enjoyable. We all spent a decent amount of time swimming in the pool and exercising in the gym, it was just overall fun.

Den and Zoe were still their usual distant selves and Maxwell was still just being a pervert that nobody wanted to be around. At one point though, Zoe called for a meeting to discuss our situation and everyone except Den showed up. Nothing was really accomplished, but it was nice to feel a bit of hope with nearly all of the remaining students working together.

The day after the next two we're all eating lunch in the cafeteria trying to enjoy ourselves, when out of nowhere the intercoms clicked on.

"Attention final nine!" shouted Bat Wing. "Get your asses to the gym now!"

The intercoms clicked off and everyone was looking pretty worried as my anxiety started to rise.

"Great" complained Bradford.

"I suppose we should get going" replied Bethany.

"Yeah" I agreed. "We need to see what Bat Wing wants"

We all headed the gym to meet up with Bat Wing. He was already waiting there when we entered.

"What the hell do you want Bat Boy?" asked Den.

"I'm glad you asked Denny Den" replied Bat Wing. "You see these past couple of days have been so boring! No killing or anything!"

"We're not gonna play your game!" replied Laurel.

"Oh I think you will be" shot back Bat Wing. "Especially with my next motive!"

"Uh oh" replied Maxwell.

"Bring it" urged Harry.

"Gladly" replied Bat Wing. "Like I mentioned before the last motive was suppose to be increased temperatures until someone committed murder. I hate to waste a motive, but I wanna surprise you."

"Just get on with it" demanded Zoe.

"Until someone kills a classmate the entire building will decrease in temperature!" answered Bat Wing.

"You're gonna make this place cold?" asked Bat Grace.

"You got it" smirked Bat Wing.

Bat Wing snapped his fingers and almost instantly it got a while lot colder in the gym like a whole lot colder. I was nearly shivering.

"What is this?!" demanded Bradford.

"What he just said" replied Zoe. "He made the whole school cold."

"It is currently fifty degrees in here" stated Bat Wing. "And until I see another body bleeding on the floor it will only get a lot colder!"

"What!" shivered Maxwell. "Give me heat back! I'm freaking cold in here!"

"Better start planning a murder then Fish Boy!" laughed Bat Wing.

Bat Wing then flew up to the ceiling leaving us all alone in the gym. Nearly everyone was shivering.

"It is getting pretty cold in here" shivered Grace.

"What are we gonna do guys?" asked Laurel who was nearly in tears. "This is just pure torture!"

"We'll have to stay strong and endure it" replied Bethany. "Be prepared with several layers and blankets to get through this ice cold motive." 

"Think about it guys" suggested Harry. "Whoever is keeping us trapped in here must also be affected by the temperature if the whole school is like this. They will eventually turn the heat back on once they get too cold."

"Don't be stupid" demanded Zoe. "The mastermind of this killing game is no fool. There is no way they would let the cold temperature affect them. Wherever they are staying is nice and heated while we freeze more and more."

"I hate to admit it" I thought to myself. "But Zoe is right. No way the mastermind will freeze with us."

"Regardless Bethany is right" replied Grace. "We'll have to keep warm with our clothes and blankets."

"Or to murder someone" added Zoe.

"Zoe!" I cried.

"Don't even joke!" ordered Harry.

"I am simply stating the obvious" replied Zoe. "I can already tell some of you are already effected by the change in temperature. Maxwell is probably already thinking about a way to murder.

Maxwell simply looked away.

"Don't even think about it Maxwell" said Bradford. "Put on a sweater or two."

"I got my ways of keeping warm" replied Den who started to exit the gym.

"What would that be?" I asked.

Den simply ignored me and headed out of the gym.

"I assume starting a fire" replied Bethany. "He is the ultimate pyro."

"That might be concerning if his fire gets out of control and we can't get out of this school" replied Laurel.

"Only more motivation to send him to hell" replied Zoe who started to walk out of the gym.

I watched Zoe leave the gym while my anxiety was going up.

"No!" I cried to myself. "I don't want anyone else to die here!"

"We should get to our rooms to prepare for however long this will last" suggested Grace.

"Right" agreed Harry.

Everyone else left the gym and headed for their rooms to dress for the cold.

"This despair" I thought to myself. "It is simply ice cold."


	43. Chapter 43-Ice Cold

Even though I was able to bundle up with a couple extra layers, I knew Bat Wing's latest motive was only gonna get worse. He would keep making the entire building colder until someone gave in and murdered. I stayed in my room a bit longer to rest up before getting hungry and heading down to the cafeteria. When I arrived I was shocked. Everyone else was already there sitting down eating and apparently discussing something. Everyone was also wearing multiple layers.

"Hey Annie" greeted Harry.

Everyone turned to me and I grew a little anxious.

"Please come get some of this delicious food that Grace has kindly prepared for us" said Bethany.

"Yes!" agreed Grace. "Please eat up as I made more than enough for everyone."

"Thank you Grace" I thanked. "I will."

I quickly got some food and sat down with the others.

"What exactly are we gonna do here guys?" asked Laurel.

"This damn cold sucks!" complained Maxwell.

"Think about it guys" suggested Bradford. "Bat Wing may make it a little more cold in here, but not to the point we'll be hurt. He only expects or two people to be killed by someone or two people. He doesn't want to kill us all off by freezing us to death."

"You call this shit a little cold?!" asked Maxwell.

"That is a good thing to point out Bradford" replied Zoe. "However even if this motive won't kill anyone by itself, someone will get cold enough to attempt murder."

"My money is on Maxwell" added Den.

"Don't joke about that!" cried Grace.

"I got nothing to worry about" shot back Den. "This motive doesn't bother me."

"Wait is it true?" asked Harry.

"You're able to light a fire for warmth?" asked Bethany.

Den nodded. "I am the ultimate pyro." 

"Then once it gets to the point we'll need fire for heat Den can just use his talent to start a fire" I replied.

"Fuck that shit" responded Den.

"What are you saying?" asked Laurel.

"The fires I make aren't for sharing with you bitches" answered Den.

"You son of a bitch!" cried Maxwell.

"You're seriously not gonna help us when we really start to freeze?" asked Bradford.

"I'm not repeating myself" replied Den.

"For someone that can easily make fire you're heart is just ice cold" said Harry.

"Shove it all your ass arrowhead" replied Den.

"Den" I started. "You're seriously gonna not share your fire with the rest of us?"

"Yes I'm not"

Harry, Bradford, and Maxwell all quickly got up and Den did as well.

"What are you bastards gonna do about it?" asked Den.

"Make a damn fire you asshole!" shouted Maxwell.

"Watch it pervert" growled Den. "You're starting to piss me off."

"We can help him do that" replied Bradford.

"I'm seriously getting sick of your selfish shit Den" added Harry.

"You two dumbasses better back off as well" growled Den. "You're all pissing me off."

"Enough" shouted Bethany.

"Please!" I cried. "Stop fighting!"

"At least stop acting like children" ordered Zoe.

Everyone except Den calmed down and sat back down.

"How can you even say the things you're saying Den?" asked Laurel.

"We're all gonna freeze if you don't share your fire!" cried Grace.

"Not my problem" replied Den.

"It is gonna be your problem when someone decides to kill you because of this stupid motive" said Maxwell.

"Wanna try it you perv" shot back Den who started walking towards Maxwell.

Bethany quickly got up and glared at Den.

"Back off" growled Den.

Den returned the glare, but then turned his back from us and started walking away.

"To hell with you guys" said Den. "After all this time and you still don't understand that I don't give two shits about any of you."

We watched as Den left the cafeteria.

"Asshole" said Maxwell.

"How can be be this cruel?" asked Laurel. "We're gonna freeze to death eventually!"

"Try not to worry" replied Bradford. "Like I said before, Bat Wing won't make it cold enough to the point we would freeze."

"Yeah" I agreed. "We just gotta have hope our layers will keep us warm enough until this crazy motive ends."

"We will see indeed" replied Zoe who got up from the table and started walking towards the exit.

"Where are you going Zoe?" asked Grace.

"Shut up" replied Zoe who left the cafeteria.

"Man that girl is almost as bad as Den" said Harry.

"She can be worse" replied Laurel.

"Do not worry about those two" stated Bethany. "We need to focus on surviving this motive and of course getting out of here."

"I agree" agreed Bradford.

"It is still freaking cold in here!" cried Maxwell.

"Calm down Maxwell" I replied. "You just gotta...

"I got it!" cried Maxwell. "We should all huddle for warmth!"

"What?" responded a confuses Harry.

"How about it ladies?" asked Maxwell with his usual perverted and creepy grin on his face.

That was it for Laurel, Grace, and I as all three of us immediately got up from our chairs and ran out of the cafeteria. I heard Bethany, Harry, and Bradford scolding Maxwell as I ran but I didn't look back. No way was I dealing with Maxwell when he was like that.

Laurel, Grace, and I stopped running once we made it a decent way into the hallway.

"Ew!" shrieked Laurel.

"I'm honestly surprised he waited this long before making that suggestion" stated Grace.

"Fair enough" I replied. "I hope this motive ends soon."

"As do I Annie" agreed Grace.

"Me three" agreed Laurel.

"I think I'm just gonna take it easy for the rest of the night" I said.

"I will too" replied Grace. "I'll see you girls later."

"Yeah bye!" replied Laurel.

We all split up and I headed back to my room to take it easy. I simply laid on my bed thinking about a lot of stuff while trying to ignore the cold that was still getting to me even with extra layers. I eventually did my usual nighttime routine and put on another layer before going to sleep for the night. It was still a little cold, but for the most part I felt safe."

That wasn't the case for me when I woke up the next morning. Bat Wing was definitely staying true to his word as my room was colder than yesterday. Even all my layers I started to shiver.

"Good morning students!" Bat Wing yelled over the intercoms. "The school is now at twenty degrees! If you don't want to freeze you better kill someone! Also we will have a meeting in the gym at exactly noon! Be there or else!"

The intercoms clicked off and I quickly hopped out of bed and ran to my closet for more layers. I ended up putting on two more sweaters and I was at six layers currently. It felt a bit heavy to move around with them all on, but I was warm for the most part. But the cold temperature was still there and I felt some of it. I quickly headed down to the cafeteria for breakfast.

When I arrived everyone else except Den was already there and yes they all had more layers on. I quickly got some food and joined them.

"Good morning Annie" greeted Bradford.

"Good morning everyone" I greeted.

"I hate the cold!" complained Maxwell.

"If you want this to end you know what you have to do" replied Zoe.

"That isn't funny Zoe!" cried Laurel.

"I wasn't trying to be funny" replied Zoe.

"Enough" intervened Bethany. "We need to focus again on this motive."

"And what Bat Wing wants us in the gym for at noon" added Harry.

"It can't be anything good for us" replied Grace.

"Anyone seen Den?" I asked.

"He simply came in to get food and left" answered Bethany.

"The bastard is still whoring up all the fire" growled Maxwell.

"I bet he has never been cold in his life" replied Laurel.

"We should kick his ass until he shares his fire!" suggested Maxwell.

"Stop it Maxwell" ordered Bradford. "We can't afford to fight with each other at this point." 

"Then shut up and do something about it" replied Zoe.

"Keep it together people" stated Harry.

"Attention students!" Bat Wing yelled over the intercoms. "I know I said noon, but I changed my mind! Gym now!"

"Oh great" groaned Bradford.

"We better get going everyone" suggested Bethany.

"This should be interesting" replied Zoe.

Everyone quickly got up form their seats and starting walking towards the exit of the cafeteria. I grabbed some food before I started walking as I really didn't get a chance to eat. We all headed out of the cafeteria and turned towards the direction of the gym.


	44. Chapter 44-Cold Murder

We walked into the gym to see Bat Wing there waiting for us.

"Hello students!" greeted Bat Wing. "Just waiting on Den now!"

"Of course we have wait on him" shivered Harry.

"He better hurry up!" replied Maxwell. "I'm getting cold again.

"What do you want with us Bat Wing?" asked Bethany.

"Wait for Den!" replied Bat Wing.

We waited for a few more minutes until Den arrived. He walked into the gym with all our eyes on him.

"What are you looking at?" asked Den.

"For you to arrive so we could get started" replied Grace.

"Shut up bitch" shot back Den.

"Hey!" yelled Laurel.

"Shut up!" shouted Bat Wing.

We all turned to him.

"Time to get started here students" said Bat Wing.

"Why did you call us all here?" asked Zoe.

"Just what are you up to?" asked Bradford.

"It can't be anything good that is assured" I replied.

Bat Wing quickly flew up to the ceiling and then came back down holding a giant parka.

"Surprise!" exclaimed Bat Wing.

"What?" I asked confused.

"Parka!" cried Maxwell.

"I see" replied Zoe.

"I know it is pretty cold right now for you guys" stated Bat Wing. "Therefore, I thought this parka might just help you out a little bit."

"But there is only one parka" replied Laurel.

"It doesn't help us out much if only one person can wear it at a time" added Grace.

"That is the point you idiots" added Zoe.

"What do you mean Zoe?" asked Harry.

"Bat Wing is only giving us one parka so we'll fight over it" continued Zoe.

"What?" asked Bradford.

"Just how dumb are you people?" asked an annoyed Zoe. "Right now it is freezing in here and it will only get more cold until someone commits murder. This cold has been affecting most of us and Bat Wing hopes we'll fight over ownerships of the parka and possibly kill as well."

"That won't happen" assured Bethany.

"Bethany is right!" I cried. "We aren't gonna play your games Bat Wing!"

"We'll share the parka" added Harry.

"Though Den definitely gets it last since he won't share his fire" added Bradford.

"Piss off!" replied Den. "I don't need that damn jacket anyway when I can create my own heat myself."

"Nice try Bat Wing" added Grace. "But this time you lose!"

Out of nowhere Maxwell ran up to Bat Wing at a fast speed and grabbed the parka from Bat Wing. He was running so fast, most of us couldn't react in time. After taking the parka from Bat Wing, Maxwell then turned in the direction of the exit and ran again at full speed. Harry and Bradford reacted fast enough to get in Maxwell's way. However Maxwell simply ran right through them, which knocked them both to the ground. Maxwell then reached the door and ran out of the gym.

"Maxwell!" cried Laurel.

"What did I tell you?" asked Zoe.

"Disgusting!" growled Bethany.

Bat Wing simply laughed at what happened.

"Hahaha!" laughed Bat Wing. "I wonder how things will turn out now. Dismissed!"

Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling, leaving us all to process what just happened. Harry and Bradford hopped up from the floor."

"Damn it" stated Harry.

"Looks like the pervert got the jacket" said Den.

"How can he be so selfish?" asked Grace. "We're all freezing in here."

"He definitely isn't thinking straight right now" I added. "The cold has definitely got to Maxwell."

"When we see him again, we'll have to give him a good talking you" replied Bethany.

"Don't be so sure on that" huffed Zoe. "That perverted fool is most likely gonna avoid us just so he can keep that parka."

"Well on the bright side, he won't be able to be creepy towards us" chimed in Laurel.

"That is good to know" I agreed.

"Alright guys, we should go now" urged Bradford.

"I was thinking the same thing" replied Den who started walking towards the exit.

"I wasted enough time here" agreed Zoe who also started walking towards the exit.

"What should we do now guys?" asked Harry.

"Well I got some laundry I been meaning to take care of" replied Laurel. "I think I'll get a start on that soon."

"I'm gonna stay here and exercise" replied Bethany. "Running around will certainly warm me up."

"I'm just gonna chill in my room for now" replied Bradford.

"I'm still hungry, so I'm gonna go back to the cafeteria." I answered.

"I'm still hungry as well" agreed Grace. "Plus I will have to clean up and prepare lunch."

"I'll join you girls as I'm still starving as well" replied Harry.

"Okay" I responded. "We should all meet back in the cafeteria for lunch in a few hours."

"Sounds like a plan" replied Laurel.

Bethany stayed behind, while Laurel and Bradford went off to do their own thing. Harry, Grace, and I walked back to the cafeteria.

"It sure is nice to know that even in this horrible situation, most of us can still get along after all we been through" said Grace.

"Key word is most" added Harry. "Den and Zoe still pretty much stay by themselves and Maxwell just caused a huge pain for us."

"We'll get that parka back from him for us all to share" I replied. "Maxwell can't stay hidden from all of us for very long."

We reached the cafeteria and finished our breakfast. Then Harry and I helped Grace clean up and prepare lunch for everyone. A whole lot of hot food was in demand due to the school currently turning into an ice zone. After prepping for lunch, Harry and I split from Grace to go for a walk.

"How have you been doing Harry?" I asked.

"Fine" replied Harry. "I been fine"

"Good to know."

"Yeah... yeah."

"Something on your mind Harry?"

"Honestly... yeah there is."

"Care to share it with me."

"I suppose so... it involves Bradford."

"Bradford? What about Bradford?"

"I mean.. it might just be me or something else. But has the guy totally changed?"

"What exactly do you mean Harry?"

"The guy was a total cocky person in the beginning and then just had a change of heart like that after he realized he did some wrongs?"

"It was a simple change in personality Harry. He talked to me first about it and is very sincere about what he did and how he has been. I truly believe Bradford is trying to and had changed for the better."

"...If you say so Annie."

"I understand not believing it to the fullest percent, but I do believe Bradford is our friend now."

"If you say so."

Harry then walked off leaving me alone. Honestly I was a little suspicious of what Harry was saying about Bradford. But I think for now he is still just a little on edge. I continued my walk for the remainder of the time before lunch. I then headed back to the cafeteria.

I had a nice lunch with Grace, Bethany, Laurel, Harry, and Bradford. Even Den and Zoe stopped by for food, although they then just left. There was still no sign of Maxwell. But either way I enjoyed the time I spent with my friends. After lunch we spent the rest of the day brainstorming ways to escape as well as looking for an escape. Unfortunately, we really didn't end up with anything at all.

As the night grew late, we all decided to call it a night. We headed back to our rooms to sleep through the coldness of the night. I changed layers and did my normal nighttime routines before quickly falling asleep.

I woke up the next morning feeling pretty well rested and ready for taking on another day. I quickly took my shower and got ready to head down to the cafeteria for breakfast when I heard the intercoms click on.

"Attention all remaining students!" shouted Bat Wing. "I need everyone to come to the laundry room now!"

The intercoms clicked off and I immediately froze in fear.

"Remaining students!?" I panicked to myself. "And this can only mean one thing!"

I ran from my room as fast I could to the laundry room. I got there in no time. When I walked in only Laurel, Zoe, and Bat Wing were there. Laurel was crying her eyes out while Zoe just looked down at the floor. I turned to see what she was looking at and screamed.

There lying on the floor drenched in water from one of the washing machines was the body of the ultimate fisher Maxwell Krueger. Along with being drenched in water, his body was also drenched in a decent amount of blood that appeared to have come from many wounds on his chest.

I felt nothing but despair.


	45. Chapter 45-Icy Investigation

"Looks like we got another investigation and soon another class trial on our hands" said Zoe.

"Right you are there missy" agreed Bat Wing. "But first we got to wait for the rest of your classmates."

Laurel continued to sob.

"I... I can't take this!" sobbed Laurel. "Why do we have to keep doing this?!"

"Laurel" I replied worried as I walked over to try and comfort her.

"Save your tears Laurel" replied Zoe. "A lot more is about to happen.

"Zoe" I responded annoyed as I gave Laurel a hug. "Stop upsetting her."

Zoe simply rolled her eyes and looked away from me.

Bethany came running into the laundry room with Harry right behind her. They both gasped and mildly panicked at the sight of Maxwell's dead body.

"No" stated Bethany.

"Maxwell?" asked Harry in confusion.

"He is Maxwell no more" replied Zoe.

"I see we will have to repeat these horrible processes for a fifth time now." stated Bethany.

"Yeah" I replied pretty gloomy as I released Laurel from my hug.

Laurel continued to sob quietly. Grace and Bradford then arrived at the crime scene at the exact same time and saw what rested below their eyes.

"Oh God!" cried Bradford.

"No!" cried Grace. "Not again! Why!?"

"Must you people have the same reactions each time?" asked an annoyed Zoe. "You would think by this point dead bodies would be more common to you."

"Zoe!" I gasped.

"Don't not say such disgusting things!" growled Bethany.

"Now we're just waiting on our ultimate pyro" said Bat Wing.

We all waited for about ten more minutes until Den walked into the laundry room. He appeared shocked at seeing the body, but quickly got over it.

"About time you got here man" said Bradford.

"What the hell took you so long?" asked Harry.

"Shut up bastards" replied Den. "None of your damn business."

"Enough talking people" cut in Bat Wing. "First up as promised."

Out of nowhere the room went back to normal temperature. We all got extremely hot in our layers. We quickly took most of them off. Bat Wing flew around the room and put them in separate laundry baskets.

"You guys can do your laundry later" said Bat Wing. "Well those who survive the class trial can."

"Stop!" sobbed Laurel.

"Anyway as always" continued Bat Wing. "You will have two hours to investigate the latest murder. Your phones will be given a file with some information and you have access to each other's rooms to look for clues.

"At least this time the pervert can't do his usual shit in the girls' rooms" replied Den.

Everyone except Zoe and Laurel glared at Den.

"After those two hours we will have the next class trial" continued Bat Wing. "Good luck final eight!"

Bat Wing flew out of the laundry room.

"Listen up here people" ordered Zoe. "We don't got much time so we have to move fast. Bethany and Den are on guard duty as always."

"Very well" reluctantly agreed Bethany.

"Yeah whatever" replied Den. "At least I don't have to do much work."

"Bradford and I are gonna search everyone's rooms first" continued Zoe.

"Why is that?" asked Grace.

"And why the two of you?" I asked.

"The crime scene this time is the laundry room" answered Zoe. "While it might not be proof enough to determine the killer, it might help us out to see who did laundry recently and who didn't."

"And how is that?" asked Harry.

"You really are stupid" replied Zoe. "The only reason why someone normally goes to the laundry room is to do laundry. Therefore the amount of laundry or lack there off might just help us narrowing down the suspect list."

"And I assume you want two people to search all eighteen rooms just to check all possibilities and to make sure no one tries to hide any evidence?" asked Bradford.

"Correct" confirmed Zoe. "Moving on, Harry and Annie you two investigate the crime scene first. This room is very big, so it shouldn't take very long. After that you two can go wherever."

"Bossy bitch"I thought to myself.

"As for Laurel and Grace, you two just go investigate wherever" finished Zoe. "All the important jobs have been reserved for the people who actually have it together right now."

"Hey!" replied Grace angrily.

Laurel continued to sob.

"No time for arguing here people" said Zoe. "Only eight of us remain and someone here is the killer who doesn't want the rest of us to succeed. Let's move. Come on Bradford."

Zoe quickly walked out of the laundry room, while Bradford reluctantly followed her. Den simply walked over to the body to start guard duty. The rest of us kind of just stood there and did nothing, minus Laurel who was still sobbing.

"Her attitude is way wrong" said Bethany. "But Zoe is right. We need to move and be on our edge now that there is only eight of us left."

"Yeah" agreed Grace. "You're right. Let's go Laurel."

Laurel still continued to sob, so Grace walked over to her and gave her a hug. Then she grabbed her hand slowly lead her out of the laundry room. Bethany walked over to the body to join Den for guard duty.

"Poor Laurel" stated Bethany. "This whole thing seems to have gotten to her the most."

"As it has to the rest of us" replied Harry who then turned to me. "We better start investigating this room Annie."

"Already on it" I confirmed as I pulled out my phone to check the latest file. "Maxwell's body was discovered in the laundry room. The time of death is about 1:00am. His cause of death is multiple stab wounds to the chest."

"That is pretty obvious" agreed Harry who was looking down at Maxwell's body.

I walked over to the body to get a good look again. Even though Maxwell was still wearing the parka, I could still get a good look at the stab wounds. They were all little holes and they all appeared to be the same size and there were always four of the pretty much next to each other.

"Call me crazy" I started. "But it honestly looks like he was stabbed to death with a fork."

"I don't wanna go with that" replied Harry. "But I do see it too."

"Interesting" said Bethany.

"Is that the best lie you could come up with?" asked Den.

"Excuse me?" I replied shocked.

"Are you suggesting Annie is the one who killed Maxwell?" asked Bethany.

"It surely is possible" replied Den.

"I don't... what are you getting at Den?" I asked.

"We can eliminate nearly half of the remaining people since it is pretty obvious that Maxwell was killed by a girl" replied Den. "One of you broads got sick of him being a pervert and the fact he stole the parka probably added fuel to the fire. But mainly one of you had had enough of his perverted remarks, spying on you, and of course snooping around in your rooms during the investigation. Therefore yes, there is a good chance Annie is the killer."

"Stop!" I cried.

"Enough of your ludicrous and sexist theories" hissed Bethany.

"Just because Maxwell has been pissing off the girls this whole time doesn't mean we can automatically assume it was a girl who killed him" replied Harry. "Bradford, yourself, and I haven't been proven Innocent."

"Neither have any of the girls" argued Den.

"Nobody has been proven innocent" I added. "The killer could be a guy or girl and right now we can't afford to waste time on theories like that."

"Whatever you say" huffed Den.

I left the conversation alone and focused all my thoughts back on the body and investigation. My anxiety started to go through the roof, but I know I needed to focus.

"This won't be easy" I said. "With the time of death being 1:00am, nobody will most likely have an alibi since we were all most likely in our rooms at the time."

"What kind of clues do we have so far?" asked Bethany.

"Well so far it appears Maxwell was stabbed with a fork" I started with. "Also we should note that he is still wearing the parka and the fact that he stole it instead of sharing it with everyone. And finally I think it is safe to say the water surrounding the body came from a washing machine, but we can't prove if the killer poured water on the body after their kill to throw us off or someone had already started the washing machine before the attack happened."

"I see" replied Bethany. "Well all that is way better than nothing."

"But it may be all this room has to offer" replied Harry. "I looked all over this room and couldn't find a fork or anything that could resemble a possible murder weapon."

"Perhaps the killer slid the murder weapon under one of the washing machines or dryers?" suggested Bethany. "That would be a place no one would most likely think to look."

"But how can we check all of them throughly?" I asked.

"I know I'm strong enough to move them" answered Bethany. "Harry and Annie, you two guard the body with Den for a bit while I move and check under all of the washing machines and dryers.

Doing as we were told, Harry and I joined Den guarding Maxwell's body as Bethany used her strength to move and throughly check under each washing machine and dryer. However, nothing was found.

"Too bad" groaned Bethany. "I really thought I was on to something."

"Don't worry about it Bethany" I replied. "It was good effort."

"Yeah and it sure is impressive that you can move all of these machines alone" complimented Harry.

"Thank you" smiled Bethany. "My talent may be punting footballs, but of course I have to be strong all over my body."

"Quit yapping and get back to investigating" ordered Den.

I glared at him, but he was right. Bethany got back on guard duty and Harry and I said goodbye as we headed out of the laundry room.

"Time to split Annie" said Harry. "But good luck."

"You too Harry" I replied.

Harry and I then split up to investigate anywhere else that might provide clues for this case. I first decided to check out the kitchen in the cafeteria since a fork right now is the prime murder weapon, although I don't know if I would find any clues really.

I reached the cafeteria and investigated the entire kitchen and the rest of the cafeteria itself. I didn't find anything at all. I anxiety and sadly left the cafeteria with not much time left for investigating.

I ended walking by the pool when I saw a somewhat wet Grace run out of the pool holding a fork.

"Grace!" I greeted.

"Annie!" replied Grace.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"It is a fork! I found it in the pool!"

"It.. It can't be! If that fork was in the pool..."

"And there was a little bit of blood in the water where the fork was in the pool!"

"Did the killer really use a fork to kill Maxwell?"

"I mean, that hasn't been proven yet. But of course for now it is evidence and extremely suspicious evidence. You normally don't throw forks in pools!"

"The killer probably thought nobody would bother investigating the entire water body of the pool or anyone who happened to be strolling around during last night after the water would go to the pool. It was still freezing at the time."

"You're right Annie! I'm gonna hold on to this to bring up during the class trial."

"Sounds like a plan Grace."

"I guess I'll see you then Annie."

Grace and I waved goodbye before she walked off in the direction I came. I waited to make sure she was out of eyesight before walking into the pool to investigate. Even if Grace "found the fork" in the pool during this investigation, that didn't prove her innocence. I absolutely didn't want to suspect Grace, but there is the chance she retrieved the fork from the pool to make it look like she discovered it there. Also there is the fact that there are barely any of us left, so it was just gonna keep getting harder to believe in everyone when the chance of them being the killer only increases.

Still I didn't want Grace to think I suspected her, Den and Zoe will probably question it during the class trial. I investigated the whole pool, but didn't find anything that could resemble evidence. Feeling down for wasting time and not fully believing in Grace, I left the pool to keep searching.

I ran into Zoe while walking through the hallways holding a notepad.

"Hey Zoe" I greeted.

"Shut up" replied Zoe who just walked past me totally ignoring me.

"Bitch!" I bitterly thought to myself.

I kept walking until I heard the intercoms click on.

"Time is up junior detective!" shouted Bat Wing. "Ge the court room now or else!"

The intercoms clicked off and I hurried to the courtroom.

I was the last one to arrive to outside the courtroom. Bat Wing was waiting with my remaining classmates. Laurel was still quiet sobbing while Grace did her best to comfort her and keeping any eye on the fork which was in her pocket. Den was simply leaning on the walls with his hands in his pockets, while Bethany just look determined to fight. Both Zoe and Bradford stood next to each other holding notebooks and Harry was just sitting down thinking to himself.

"There you are Miss Bless!" greeted Bat Wing. "We been waiting!"

"Yeah I wanna get this over with already" replied Den.

"I'm... sorry" I replied anxiously.

"Worry not" assured Bethany. "We will do what we have to do."

"You mean sacrifice the killer to ensure we all live another day?" asked Zoe.

Bethany said nothing, while Laurel continued to sob a little louder.

"Let's go people!" cried Bat Wing.

One by one we all headed into the courtroom to partake in the fifth class trial and discover which one of us had killed Maxwell.


	46. Chapter 46-5th Trial Starts

As always, we gathered at our assigned podiums to begin the hellish nightmare known as the class trial. Joining the ranks of portraits were Leah and the recently deceased Maxwell.\

"There are now more portraits of the deceased students than remaining students" I shuddered to myself. "What have we done?"

Bat Wing flew up to his chair as usual and turned to us.

"You know how it goes students" started Bat Wing. "Work hard together to solve this mystery. If you do and vote for the correct killer, then only they will die. But if you fail to do that, then everyone except the killer will die and the killer gets to leave this school."

"Why?" sobbed Laurel. "Why did this have to happen?!"

"Hey I didn't say start!" yelled Bat Wing. "Start!"

"Here we go again" said Harry.

"We can do this guys!" encouraged Bradford. "We did this nightmare four times already and we can do it for a fifth time!"

"Then stop wasting time with this useless pep talk and get started already" ordered Zoe.

"We should begin with the murder weapon of course" started Grace.

"What was used to kill Maxwell?" asked Bethany.

"The whole idea of it is completely fucking stupid" replied Den. "But it does appear that the pervert was stabbed to death with a fork."

"Huh?" I replied shocked. "During the investigation you didn't believe us when we said it might be a fork."

"Shut up" shot back Den.

"Enough" cut in Bethany. "But yes I do agree with Den. The murder weapon appears to be a fork based off the designs of the stab wounds inflicted upon Maxwell."

"Nice of you to agree there Bethany" replied Den. "You would be full of shit not to."

"Excuse me?" asked Bethany.

"What are you saying Den?" I asked.

"The victim is that pervert Maxwell" answered Den. "The whole time we been locked up in this shithole he harassed and annoyed all the chicks with his perverted antics. It shouldn't be a surprise that one of you chicks got fed up with him to the point you wanted him dead."

"Hey!" cried Grace.

"I told you to stop with that trash before" growled Bethany.

"Just because he angered all the females during the entire time we been here doesn't mean the killer is automatically a female" shot back Zoe. "Harry, Bradford, and yourself aren't innocent at all right now."

"I said that before Den!" yelled Harry. "This isn't getting us anywhere!"

"Also Maxwell was hiding from everyone right before he died, so he couldn't of done anything perverted" I added. "I doubt his past antics were the reason he was killed."

"Maybe they weren't the icing on the cake" replied Den. "But also consider the motive and the fact Maxwell stole the parka and kept it for himself. "Take all of that into consideration and one of you chicks wanted him to bleed asap.

"I do agree with you that the motive and the fact Maxwell stole the parka are most likely involved with the murder" agreed Zoe. "But your theory isn't enough to knock Harry, Bradford, and yourself off the suspect list."

"Right" I agreed. "We need facts."

"Whatever" stated Den. "But don't think I'm gonna let it go for this whole trial."

"Getting back on track to the murder weapon" replied Bradford.

"Was it really a fork?" asked Harry.

"I do believe so" answered Grace. "Just look what I found."

Grace pulled the fork she found in the pool out of her pocket and held it up.

"What?!" exclaimed Bethany.

"I see" replied Zoe.

"No way!" cried Bradford.

"The killer actually stabbed Maxwell to death with a fork?!" asked Harry.

"I would definitely say so" replied Grace. "I found this fork in the pool and it was bloody."

"Safe to say the killer threw it in the pool to hide it" I added.

"You found... that fork in the pool?" asked Laurel who was still somewhat sobbing.

"Yes I did" answered Grace. "And before someone tries to say I can't prove it and now I'm suspicious, Annie saw me walk out of the pool area with it."

"I can confirm this" I confirmed.

"But did you actually see Grace retrieve that fork from the pool Annie?" asked Zoe. "Or simply see her walk out of the pool area with it?"

"Well..." I stared with.

"Shut up and answer my question" demanded Zoe.

"Bitch!" I growled in my head.

"I only saw Grace walk out of the pool area with the fork" I confirmed.

"But I really did find it floating in the pool!" urged Grace. "Why would I lie about this?!"

"If you're the one that killed Maxwell" began Zoe. "You could of done it like this."

"What are you saying Zoe?" asked Harry.

"If Grace is the one who killed Maxwell" continued Zoe. "She obviously killed by stabbing him to death with this fork last night. Then while everyone else is still fast asleep, Grace goes to the pool area to toss the murder weapon into the pool. And from that point, she simply waits."

"Waits for what?" asked Bethany.

"For Maxwell's body to be discovered" continued Zoe. "Then during the investigation she acts like she discovered the fork floating in the pool. Grace could of just been acting to make it look like she actually discovered the fork."

"And she got bonus points if Annie even simply saw her walk out of the pool area with this piece of evidence" added Den.

"Exactly" agreed Zoe. "Then she brings out this fork during the class trial to make it seem like she discovered the murder weapon, but when in reality she is simply trying to draw suspicion away from herself so we don't vote for her."

"I knew it!" I thought to myself. "I just knew that certain people would suspect Grace if she brought out the fork!"

"Hang on!" replied Grace. "What you just said is just another theory like Den's! You don't have any proof at all!"

"It also goes with my a girl is the killer if it is you Grace" shot back Den.

"Do you two not have any shame?" asked Bethany. "Do you always feel the need to blame someone without proof?"

"Do you idiots still not get the kind of situation we're in right now?" asked Zoe. "This is the the class trial. Either we put blame on someone else or everyone besides the killer dies."

"But nothing has proved Grace to be the killer!" I argued. "Remember you had her and Laurel search anywhere besides the laundry room and bedrooms, so it isn't surprising if Grace found something in the pool."

"Thank you Annie" thanked Grace.

"I know I have no proof now" replied Zoe. "But Grace has quite the target on her back."

"Why... why can't this stop!" sobbed Laurel.

"Are you alright Laurel?" asked Bradford.

"Nnnooo!"" cried Laurel.

"Laurel..." I tried to comfort.

"Why!" sobbed Laurel. "Why are we in this situation! Why! What did I do to deserve this!?"

"Please try to calm down Laurel" urged Bethany.

"Looks like this bitch just lost it" said Den.

"Bastard!" shouted Harry.

"Den!" I exclaimed while getting anxious.

"Just how cruel are you?!" asked Grace.

"Cruel enough for this pathetic piece of shit to land himself in juvenile detention hall and was probably set for actual prison once he became a legal adult" answered Harry.

"You're fucking dead arrowhead!" shouted Den who started to leave his podium.

"Hey!" shouted Bat Wing. "Nobody move!"

Everyone including Den who had stopped what he was doing all turned to Bat Wing.

"Cut the high school drama and continue your quest to finding the fifth killer now" ordered Bat Wing.

"As much as I despise that robot, I do agree we should continue trying to solve this mystery and forget anything petty" agreed Zoe.

"Break it up Harry and Den" ordered Bethany.

"Fine by me" obeyed Harry. "But the ultimate pyro is getting burned after we solve this case, providing he isn't the killer and dies the death he should of gotten a long time ago."

"Harry!" cried Grace.

"Stop it!" cried Laurel.

"You are dead!" yelled Den.

"Enough!" shouted Bethany. "We need to focus here!"

"Bethany is right" agreed Bradford. "Our lives are still on the line and we aren't doing too well so far."

"As I was saying before interrupted by a bunch of crap" continued Zoe. "While it isn't rock hard proof that Grace killed Maxwell, she is definitely suspicious since she brought out the supposed murder weapon."

"I really did find it in the pool!" urged Grace.

"And as long as that can't be proven, the fact that you prepared a way to find the fork in the cool exists" replied Zoe.

"Like I keep saying" added Den. "One of the girls is the killer."

"You aren't innocent Den!" accused Harry. "You could of easily thought of a way to kill Maxwell!"

"And what genius idea do you have in mind arrow shit?" asked Den. "The motive didn't apply to me since I was always warm thanks to my talent and I had no reason to be angry at Maxwell since I never needed the jacket he stole."

"That might be true, but maybe you thought we wouldn't suspect you at all since there wouldn't of been any reasons for you to kill this time" countered Harry. "You would be hiding in plain sight and we would be none the wiser since we would never suspect you."

"You're full of shit Harry" growled Den.

"Stop it right now" ordered Bethany. "Like most of the things we discussed this far, it is just more theories everyone. It could of happened, but right now it hasn't been proven."

"No one has been proven innocent yet guys" I added. "Any of the remaining eight people in this courtroom could have killed Maxwell.

"Where do we go from here?" asked Grace.

"I think we should continue with why the murder ended up happening in the laundry room of all place?" suggested Bethany.

"I'm not following you" replied Bradford.

"Maxwell was hiding from the rest of us right before his death" answered Bethany.

"And that reason was so he wouldn't have to share the parka provided by Bat Wing" added Zoe.

"And because quite a few people wanted to kick his ass for what he did" added Den.

"Therefore the question is how he ended up in the laundry room with the killer?" asked Bethany.

"Couldn't it be that he simply chose to do his laundry late at night? proposed Grace.

"That could make sense" agreed Harry. "If he was trying to avoid us, it isn't a surprise he chose to do laundry late at night while the rest of us were sleeping."

"But why even risk being caught just for laundry?" I asked.

"I have to agree with Annie" agreed Zoe. "Maxwell was hiding from us and wouldn't come out. I don't buy the idea he was simply doing laundry."

"But... why else... would Maxwell have been in the laundry room last night then?" half sobbed and half asked Laurel.

"We'll get to the bottom of that soon enough" assured Zoe.

"I hope you're right Zoe" I thought to myself. "Otherwise it could be the end for all of us minus the killer."


	47. Chapter 47-Who Killed Perv?

The class trial was full of despair at the moment and not so much hope. Nearly everyone seemed nervous that we wouldn't solve the murder of Maxwell and that his killer would walk out of this school alive while the rest of us perished by Bat Wing. My anxiety was to the roof.

"Got to stay focused Annie!" I told myself. "You have to have hope!"

"What else do we have to go on with this case?" asked Harry.

"I was getting to that" replied Zoe.

"What is it Zoe?" asked Grace.

"Are you all forgetful as you are stupid?" asked Zoe annoyed. "Bradford and I checked all of the rooms during the investigation to determine the status of everyone's laundry status."

"Right!" I realized. "You two did that to possibly determine who had went to the laundry room recently to do laundry."

"And whoever was there last night is most likely the killer" agreed Bethany.

"Did... you... find anything" sobbed Laurel.

"We can't determine anything based off dirty clothes in anyone's room" added Den. "The killer probably put any clean laundry back in their hamper to avoid suspicion."

"Actually Den, both Zoe and I smelled all the laundry in everyone's rooms" to determine if it was legit" replied Bradford.

"Ew!" shrieked Grace.

"Disgusting yes" agreed Zoe. "But it was needed to find the killer, anyone who had clean clothes in their hamper would definitely be the killer."

"What if the killer hid their clothes else where?" asked Harry.

"No clothes hidden in odd locations were found during the investigation" replied Zoe. "And if that was the case, the owner of those clothes would definitely be the killer as well." 

"Enough of this stupid shit" cut in Den. "What did you and Bradford find?"

"Who is suspicious based on the clothes in their hamper?" asked Bethany.

"Though wait!" added Grace. "What if the murder of Maxwell was committed before any laundry was actually done. The killer would then just put all their dirty clothes back in their hamper and we would all assume they hadn't done laundry yet!"

"Remember the crime scene and realize why laundry was at least in the process of happening last night" replied Zoe.

"There was water from a washing machine on the ground around Maxwell's body" I answered.

"Exactly" agreed Zoe. "Someone was doing laundry before the murder and for whatever reason spilled water from the washing machine around Maxwell's body."

"Most likely to confuse us when we investigated" responded Harry.

"Whatever" growled Den. "Just get to the hampers!"

"Agreed" replied Zoe. "Here is what Bradford and I discovered during the investigation."

"Annie, Zoe, and myself all had less than half of our hamper's full, so we shouldn't of needed to do laundry for awhile" started Bradford.

"At least I won't be suspicious here" I thought to myself.

"Both Harry and Bethany had half full hampers, so again they wouldn't of needed to do laundry for now" continued Zoe.

"That would leave Laurel, Grace, and Den as the remaining people who we have yet to hear about with their hampers" said Bethany.

Grace looked nervous, while Laurel continued to sob quietly. Den just rolled his eyes.

"Well, when it comes to those three" began Bradford.

"Both Laurel and Grace had empty hampers and Den only had a few pieces of laundry in his" cut in Zoe.

"Where does this get us?" I asked.

"It is possible for all three of them to be the killer since obviously they did laundry recently if there is no dirty clothes in their hampers" answered Zoe.

"Any of those three could have been in the laundry room last night" added Bradford.

"No!" cried Laurel.

"This doesn't prove anything!" agreed Grace. "Our hampers aren't enough to put suspicion on us!"

"I keep saying it was one of the girls that killed the pervert" added Den. "Was it Laurel or Grace?"

"Shut up Den!" sobbed Laurel.

"Everyone please calm down" urged Bethany.

"We have to keep cool heads here" pleaded Harry.

"This is the biggest evidence we have right now" replied Zoe. "We have to discuss this."

"I have to agree with Zoe" reluctantly agreed Bradford.

"But even if Laurel, Grace, and Den are suspicious" I began. "How can we narrow it down to one of them or even two?"

"My money is still on Den" replied Harry. "Nobody would expect the ultimate pyro to kill because it was too cold in this school."

"I am so gonna kick your ass after we finish this joke of a trial" growled Den.

"Going back to Grace, she is even more suspicious now that we know she did laundry recently and she brought up the bloody fork found in the pool."

"I'm not the killer!" cried Grace. "You can't pin this on me with only theories."

"I agree and I prefer actual facts" replied Zoe. "But if we don't have any, we have to take what we can get."

"Please!" sobbed Laurel. "Stop this! Stop this now!" 

"Laurel you need to calm down" comforted Bethany. "You're only gonna wear yourself out."

"This is getting insane!" I thought to myself. "I have to end these debates! But how can I... Wait!"

"I know how we can narrow down the suspects" I stated.

"How so Annie?" asked Bradford.

"Yesterday after Maxwell ran away with the parka and we all split up to do our own things" I began. "Laurel said she was gonna do some laundry and that was way before the murder happened. That should explain why her hamper is empty.

"...Annie" began Laurel.

"Everyone except Den and Zoe were there when she said it" I continued. "The rest should be able to back it up."

"That is correct" replied Bethany.

"Indeed Laurel said that" agreed Grace.

"Right" agreed Harry.

"I do recall her saying that" responded Bradford."

"That isn't a good enough alibi to prove she was doing laundry earlier in the day and not at night when the murder happened" countered Zoe.

"Fair enough" I replied. "However just look at how Laurel has been acting this whole trial and even since the body was discovered. She has been a wreck. I couldn't see her going out at nighttime just to do laundry, especially after she admitted she was gonna do it after we left the gym."

"I can definitely get behind that" agreed Harry. "Laurel has been clearly suffering this whole time and I don't see any reason to doubt her."

"Very well" brushed off Zoe. "But she was never my prime suspect out of those three."

"That leaves us with Den and Grace" said Bradford.

"I still say Grace is the one most likely to be the killer" replied Zoe.

"Stop it!" cried Grace.

"Don't forget about Den" replied Harry.

"I'm gonna kick you ass arrowhead" growled Den.

"Enough of this childish nonsense!" ordered Bethany.

"Somebody... has to be the killer" sobbed Laurel.

"But who?" I thought to myself as my anxiety started to go back up."

"Wait!" I cried out loud.

Everyone turned their eyes to me and my anxiety went up, but I pushed through.

"Honestly can we be sure someone was doing laundry before the death of Maxwell?" I asked. "What if the killer just ran the washing machine and spilled the water to actually confuse us? Maybe the killer wanted us to think someone went to the laundry room to do laundry before hand?"

"Fair point Annie" agreed Zoe. "But I can easily refute it, why would the killer go to the laundry room last night if it wasn't for laundry?"

"Perhaps they were just taking a walk throughout the school?" suggested Bethany. "Those haven't been uncommon at all." 

"Or maybe they were meeting up with Maxwell for a reason?" I proposed.

"No evidence for either of those" countered Zoe. "Our best possibility is still to do laundry." 

"I think we should ask both Grace and Den when they did laundry to see if we can narrow the two of them down to an agreeable prime suspect" suggested Bradford.

"Talk now Grace" ordered Zoe.

"I did my laundry the day before yesterday" replied Grace.

"And there wasn't any clothes in your hamper because?" asked Bradford.

"While it was so cold in here, it hurt even to change clothes" answered Grace. "I often didn't change."

"Not good enough for me" replied Den. "That was a piss poor excuse"

"You are not off the hook either Den" responded Bethany. "Maybe you should tell us the last time you did laundry."

"The ultimate pyro shouldn't of had an excuse not to change clothes each day if his talent was protecting him from the cold" added Harry.

"Shut up bastard" growled Den.

"When did you last do laundry Den?" asked Zoe.

"I did it the day before yesterday as well" replied Den.

"Did anyone see you?" asked Bradford.

"Not that I recall" replied Den.

"Then I'm afraid Grace and Den are still equally suspicious" stated Zoe.

"No!" shrieked Grace.

"Bullshit!" yelled Den.

"I'm sorry guys" apologized Bradford. "But neither of you have a good enough reason as to why your hampers were empty or nearly empty."

"As well as Grace "finding" the murder weapon" added Zoe.

"And Den trying to hide in plain sight by the fact of the motive not affecting him" added Harry.

"Please" begged Bethany. "We won't get anywhere simply accusing anyone."

"What... what are we... gonna do" sobbed Laurel.

"I have to think about this!" I thought to myself. "I have to end this madness now before we all get stuck in despair! But what else is there to this case!? What could we have missed!?"

I went back every little detail in my head over and over again as the rest of my classmates argued loudly with each other. I thought hard until...

"No!" I cried to myself. "It can't be this person! But... I have really have no other leads to go off on..."

"Hey guys I.." I started to say.

"STOP IT!" cried Laurel. "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

Everyone including myself turned to look at Laurel.

"Enough!" cried Laurel. "I can't take it anymore! I did it! I killed Maxwell! I'm the killer!"


	48. Chapter 48-5th Trial Ends

Everyone froze after what was just said by Laurel. No one said or did anything for several moments until Alec the ultimate anteater walked through the court room.

"Hey I see Alec the ultimate anteater!" exclaimed Bat Wing.

Everyone just ignored him and stayed focused on what we just heard.

"What?" asked Grace.

"Laurel..." started Bethany.

"What... what are you saying?" asked Bradford.

"I told you didn't I" replied Den. "I kept saying it was one of the girls who killed Maxwell."

"But... how?" I tried to say.

"Obviously Laurel had enough of Maxwell being the fucking pervert he is and decided to kill him off" continued Den.

"Shut up" ordered Zoe. "Was it the motive and the fact Maxwell stole the parka?"

"I... I... he..." Laurel tried to say, but just ended up sobbing again.

"Out with it" demanded Zoe.

"Back off Zoe!" exclaimed Harry. "Can't you see the state she is in right now?!"

"Also should we even consider her confession legit?" asked Grace. "If we take into account her state of mind and Annie's logic for her not being a suspect?"

"No!" sobbed Laurel. "It was me! I did it! I'm the killer!"

"Actually" I added. "I think I may of made a mistake when I said before that Laurel was unlikely to be the killer."

"Explain" ordered Zoe.

"Laurel's..." I tried to start with.

"This is gonna be so hard!" I thought to myself.

"Laurel's state of mind for one thing. We all seen the way she has been behaving for this whole trial, no since the body was discovered in the laundry room. Before we just all assumed that this entire situation and another murder happening and of course repeating this whole process for a fifth time had just really affected Laurel and made her act this way. But I don't think that is actually the case. I now think she has been acting like this because it was her that killed Maxwell and her mind has been overloaded with thoughts of finally escaping this school, but more overloaded with guilt for killing Maxwell and the fact the rest of us would have to die for her to walk out of here alive."

"Laurel" began Bradford. "Is this true?"

"Yes!" sobbed Laurel even harder.

"But Annie" protested Bethany. "Everyone here minus Den and Zoe heard Laurel say she was gonna do her laundry after we left the gym. Why would she of done it late at night instead?"

"I.. I really don't know why Laurel would do her laundry at night, especially after telling us she was gonna do it right after leaving the gym" I replied. "But that is also what threw us off before. Maybe she didn't plan to use that fact to prove her innocence, but thanks to me in bringing it up and everyone agreeing with me, we overlooked something that could of cost us all our lives. I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing Annie?" asked Harry.

"Like I said, it was me who brought up the fact that Laurel had said she was gonna do her laundry after leaving the gym" I replied. "I really wasn't thinking straight about it, I just said whatever was in my head that would of hopefully end all the loud arguments we were having over who the killer was."

"Annie" replied Grace who appeared shocked.

"Noted" added Zoe.

Laurel continued to simply sob.

"Do we have anything else that would prove that Laurel is the killer?" asked Bethany. "Even with Maxwell being a pervert, a thief, and Bat Wing's motive... I just can't see Laurel killing anyone."

"Not seeing the truth just because of your own stupid reality will get you nowhere" replied Den.

"Do not test me Den" growled Bethany.

"Do you have anything else Annie?" asked Harry. "Why would Laurel kill Maxwell or anyone honestly?"

"Yes" I replied. "I think I know why Laurel killed Maxwell."

Laurel started to sob louder.

"I can't exactly prove anything on my own" I continued. "But I truly do believe this is the truth we have all been seeking. Laurel didn't plan on killing Maxwell or anyone for that matter, but she acted is self defense."

"Self defense?" asked Bradford.

"You're saying Maxwell attacked Laurel and possibly tried to kill her first?" asked Grace.

"Yes" I confirmed. "That would be the big start to her current behavior right now. Laurel didn't plan on doing anything of that kind of sort last night, she only had intentions of doing her laundry. However, Maxwell came into the laundry room and attacked her. Laurel... Laurel must have been scared for her life and did what she had to do to protect herself from Maxwell."

"All of your points are noted Annie" replied Zoe. "But right now it is all one big stretch. Why would Maxwell have gone into the laundry room last night if he was trying to hide from everyone with the parka he stole?"

"I believe this" I continued. "Yes Maxwell was much warmer thanks to the parka he stole we were all suppose to share, but it was still freezing in this place and it was only gonna get more cold. Maxwell definitely knew that."

"For once he actually knew something" added Den.

"He also knew the only way he had of escaping was to kill someone and deceive the rest at the class trial" I continued. He was actually quite smart here in a few ways. Maxwell probably came out from hiding at night in order to have lesser chance of being seen by multiple people and to make it easier for him to get the drop on someone and kill them."

"And that... was Laurel?" asked Bethany who looked horrified.

"Yes" I agreed. "Laurel... was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maxwell could of seen her leave her room last night and stalked her to the laundry room or simply wondered in there by chance and took action when he saw his opportunity."

"Bastard" cursed Harry.

"What about the fork?" asked Zoe.

"I imagine Laurel just wanted something on her for self defense after she changed the time to do her laundry" I responded. "I don't know why she exactly chose a fork, but she probably didn't want to go all out with a weapon."

Laurel's sobs got louder.

"And... and after she killed Maxwell in self defense, I'm sure you guys should be able to figure out the rest" I finished up. "Laurel definitely wasn't in the right mind and the guilt has been killing her ever since. While she wanted to live, she also didn't want the rest of us to die and also feels guilty over killing Maxwell."

"Laurel" began Grace. "Is this really all true?"

"Are you the killer? The one who killed Maxwell?" asked Bethany.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" cried Laurel. "It was me! I did it!"

"I..." Harry tried to say.

"I think we're just about done here" replied Bradford sadly.

"We most certainly are" agreed Den.

"I suppose Laurel's confession and Annie's logic is enough for me" decided Zoe.

"We also have no exact way to prove it was Grace or Den" I added. "We need to finish this now."

"I'm sorry!" sobbed Laurel. "I'm so sorry!"

"Did Maxwell actually try to kill you first?" asked Bradford.

Laurel sobbed a bit more, before calming down.

"I.. will tell you all after... we vote" replied Laurel before sobbing again.

"Ready to vote" asked Bat Wing.

"Unfortunately" replied Grace who was now close to tears.

"Roger that!" exclaimed Bat Wing

The screens came down for us to vote for all we think was the killer of this latest murder. Some people instantly voted right away, while others took their sweet time. Some just stared at the screen for several moments before voting, I was one of those people. Laurel's sobs just got louder and louder.

"Well you guys voted and you were correct again!" stated Bat Wing. "Our fifth killer of this beautiful killing game is Miss Stern herself!"

"No" replied Bethany quietly.

"I see we were right once again" said Zoe.

"Laurel... how?" asked a confused Harry.

Laurel ignored everyone and just continued to sob.

"Do you want to tell us Laurel?" I asked anxiously.

Laurel sobbed for a bit more, before turning to all of us.

"Yes... I.. will" sobbed Laurel. "You... all deserve that much."

"Please... take your time Laurel" cried Grace.

"But not too long!" added Bat Wing. "We all know what is coming up!"

"Shut up Bat Wing!" yelled Bradford.

Everyone turned their attention to Laurel as she got ready to tell us why she exactly killed Maxwell.

"Annie... Annie pretty much summed it up during the class trial" began Laurel. "I was going to do my laundry after leaving the gym, but it was just too cold for me, so I headed back to my room to rest up and decided to do it later. That... that was the biggest mistake I ever made."

"Oh wow" cried Grace.

"I.. don't know if Maxwell stalked me to the laundry room or just wandered as I was doing my laundry" continued Laurel. "But he found me. He attacked me... and he..."

Laurel appeared to have trouble finishing her sentence.

"What?" asked Den. "What else did he do?"

**WARNING-These next pieces of dialouge contain mentions of rape. If you are uncomfortable with this subject, please skip over until you see bold typing again to know it is safe.**

"raped me" finished Laurel who started to tear up again.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"He... did what to you?" asked a horrified Bethany.

"Bastard!" yelled Harry. "Piece of shit bastard!"

"Interesting" noted Zoe."

Laurel continued to cry as she continued her story.

"I... I know it was dumb to be out that late... at night... just to do laundry." sobbed Laurel. "But... I really wanted to... get it done since I procrastinated it. I... took a fork from the kitchen... for self defense... I... I... didn't think I would... have to use it! I... didn't think anyone... else would... be up!"

Laurel collapsed on her knees sobbing really loud. Grace and Bethany hurried over to her and pulled her to her feet before wrapping her in a hug.

"He raped me!" cried Laurel. "Maxwell raped me! And... and it wasn't my first time being raped!"

"Monster!" cried Grace. "Maxwell... was an absolute monster."

"He should be burning in hell right now fortunately" added Den.

Laurel sobbed a little bit longer, before continuing her story.

"As he... as he.. was raping me. Maxwell... said he would kill me right after it all so he could finally escape this place. He... he thought since he had been... in hiding this whole time... that no one.. would... suspect him as the killer."

"An idiot to the very end he was" remarked Zoe.

"I didn't think... about my fork when he... jumped me... and... and as.. he was.. raping me" continued Laurel. "But after... he finished... it. He got up to get something to kill me with... and rage just consumed me."

"Laurel." I stated.

"I got up and pulled out my fork" continued Laurel. "He quickly saw me and came back over to attack me without anything. He was able to touch me one last time, before I was consumed with even more rage and unleashed stab after stab onto him."

"This is... this is" began Bradford.

"The worst" finished Harry."

"After.. after I killed Maxwell, realization hit me" continued Laurel. "I was overwhelmed with guilt with what I done and for what would happen if the truth didn't come out, but... but I was so scared! I didn't want to do die! I'm sorry!"

"Laurel... it wasn't your fault" replied Bethany.

"I cleaned myself up and then finished my laundry quickly before anyone could see me" continued Laurel. "And then I poured water onto the body and ditched the murder weapon into the pool! I'm sorry you guys! I should of just confessed to the start! But I was scared! I was so scared!"

Laurel started sobbing louder again as Bethany and Grace did their best to comfort her.

**Safe Now**

"Laurel" I thought to myself. "This is all just too horrible!"

I started to tear up a bit myself, Bradford noticed and came over to comfort me. I was paying close attention, but I might of seen Harry look a little disappointed.

"Boring!" interrupted Bat Wing. "I don't want to see more crying! I want more students dead!"

"No!" shouted Grace.

"You will not touch Laurel!" yelled Bethany.

"Please guys" begged Laurel. "Don't risk your lives for me. I'm... I'm prepared for it."

"Good to know!" exclaimed Bat Wing happily.

"But.. but... I'm so scared!" sobbed Laurel.

Bat Wing flew up from his chair and up to the ceiling. As always a hole opened up from the wall and a chain came flying out and latched itself around Laurel's neck. She continued to sob as she was pulled into the hole in the wall before it closed.

"Why?" sobbed Grace. "Why do we have to go through this again?"

"This is the world for us right now" answered Zoe.

"Damn it!" shouted Harry.

The giant monitor came down to us again and turned on to show Laurel sitting in a chair with her hands handcuffed behind her back. She was sobbing uncontrollably and I noticed she was wearing really short clothing.

"Bastard!" cried Bradford.

"Monster!" agreed Bethany.

"No, no, no!" I cried "Laurel!"

As Laurel sobbed, Bat Wing appeared next to her holding a pair of giant headphones. He placed them on her head, before getting even closer to Laurel and pushing her back in her chair. Laurel sobbed even more. Bat Wing suddenly flew away from Laurel and over to a giant sound system that had a microphone attached to it, as well as Laurel's headphones. Bat Wing grabbed the microphone and then turned to the sound system. He turned it on and turned the volume all the way up to maximum. Bat Wing then turned his attention back to Laurel and brought the microphone to his mouth and screamed so loud into it. The screaming was so loud, it was hurting the ears of the seven of us who were watching this cruelty. However, we all knew it was worse for Laurel due to the noise all going to her ears with those headphones. Laurel was obviously in pain and struggled, but there was nothing she could do. Bat Wing screamed into the microphone for several more moments until the sound was just too much for Laurel and her head exploded. Her head literally exploded and brain pieces and blood went everywhere. It was too much to look at. Bradford immediately pulled me away from the monitor.

"Don't look Annie" pleaded Bradford. "Don't look."

Bethany also pulled Grace away from the monitor and did her best to comfort her. Harry just stared with horror on his face. Den looked a little green himself and even Zoe had to turn away and close her eyes while scowling. The giant monitor went away and Bat Wing flew back down to us.

"Awesome! Simply awesome!" he exclaimed.

"Just how fucked up is the sick fuck controlling you?" asked Den.

"You... you're insane!" cried Harry.

"You guys know the rules" defended Bat Wing. "You get discovered as the killer during the class trial and you die in the end! Come on now, that was the fifth trial."

"You.. we will escape from this school without anymore of us dying you fiend!" growled Bethany.

"Good luck with that students!" laughed Bat Wing. "And then there were seven!"

Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling, leaving Harry, Grace, Zoe, Den, Bethany, Bradford, and myself alone in the court room.

"This... this.. is.." Bethany tried to say before tears starting to fall down her face."

"Noooooo!" sobbed Grace. "Laurel!"

"Damn it!" cursed Harry. "Why did it have to end like this?!"

I cried myself as Bradford did his best to comfort me, the feeling felt oddly familiar.

"Laurel" I cried to myself. "I'm so, so sorry this happened to you!"

"We should really leave the courtroom guys" said Bradford. "There isn't any hope here."

"I agree with that" agreed Bethany.

"Oh I don't think so" replied Zoe. "I certainly see hope."

"Huh?" I asked surprised.

"Even if Laurel was tempted to tell us the truth the entire time, the trial was still interesting while it lasted" replied Zoe.

"What?!" asked Grace shocked.

"Interesting?" repeated Bradford.

"Would of been a shame for our little murder case to end so soon if Laurel simply confessed her crime even after the trial started" continued Zoe. "I'm glad we had some fun while we could."

"You think this kind of madness is fun?!" asked Bethany.

"The hell this stupid shit is fun" cut in Den. "That was some real shit what that bitch put us through."

"Huh! What?!" I replied.

"That bitch Laurel could of saved us all this time and trouble by confessing to killing the pervert from the start" continued Den. "But no, we had to do another fucking trial. Not to mention is was shitty to risk the rest of our necks when she was the one who went all psycho. What a selfish bitch."

I couldn't believe the kind of words I was hearing from Den and Zoe.

"That is it!" roared Harry.

Harry charged at Den and tackled him. They fell to the floor and Harry landed a few punches on Den, before he was able to shove Harry off him and start wailing on him.

"I'm sick of you you stupid piece of shit!" yelled Den as he started wailing on Harry. "I always hoped you were the killer during each trial so I wouldn't have to deal with your shit after that bastard bat offed you!"

Bethany quickly ran over to Harry and Den to pull them apart, but Den simply shoved her away and she fell back. Den was totally out of control. Den continued wailing on Harry as the latter struggled to fight back.

"Not so tough with your little trivia friend rotting in the basement of this shithole!" commented Den.

That did it for Harry who got even more angry and was able to shove Den off him. Harry then kicked Den in the head, before going back in for some more punches.

"Piece of shit!" screamed Harry. "You really are worse than Bat Wing!"

Stop it" cried Bradford.

Bradford released me from his hug and ran over to Harry and Den. He pushed Harry away from Den as the latter quickly got up. Bradford tried to hold Den in place, but Den simply punched him in the face. Bradford fell down injured.

"Bradford!" I cried.

"Stop it!" shrieked Grace. "All of you stop it!"

Den then charged at Harry again, but Bethany interfered at the last second and landed a nice kick in his stomach. Den fell to the ground in pain.

"Stay down" growled Bethany.

I walked over to Bradford to make sure he was okay and helped him to his feet. Grace was checking on Harry, while Bethany kept an eye on Den. Zoe appeared to simply be observing us all.

"Even with only seven of us remaining, this game will still be very interesting before it is time for me to win" smiled Zoe very sinisterly.

We stared at Zoe as she left the court room by herself.

"That girl... has always been wicked" muttered Bradford.

"Forget about Zoe for now" replied Bethany. "We should make sure you three aren't too beat up."

Bethany reached to help pull Den to his feet.

"Don't fucking touch me!" screamed Den.

Everyone shifted their focus to Den as I grew anxious and he got to his feet.

"I'm sick of all you bastards! Just die in a hole for all I care! Just do it!" screamed Den.

"Den.. please.." begged Grace.

"Shut the fuck up bitch!" yelled Den. "Don't talk to me! Any of you! The next time one of you pisses me off.. I will make sure no one ever finds your body in this shithole of a school!"

Den glared at all of us before storming out of the courtroom, though he did appear to be still be pretty injured.

"Forget about him too" replied Harry. "He isn't worth our time, he never was."

"Harry" I pleaded. "Please stop being so reckless.

"I'm.. sorry" apologized Harry.

"We'll talk about it later" decided Bethany. "Right now you and Bradford need to be treated."

"We... we really need to leave here" added Grace.

Bethany came over to me and helped me walk Bradford out of the courtroom, while Grace helped Harry out. No one said a word as we exited that despair room known as the courtroom. I don't know the exact thoughts on the minds of the others, but right now it wasn't too hopeful.


	49. Chapter 49-Recover and Restart

Bethany, Grace, and I took Harry and Bradford to the nurse's office to make sure they were alright after fighting with Den.

"Isn't this the first time any of use have been to the nurse's office?" asked Grace.

"Nonsense" replied Bethany. "Some of us have definitely checked it out in the past."

"Even so" continued Grace. "This is the first time the writer is mentioning a nurse's office at all in this school."

"Well that is just it" answered Bethany. "Future Hope is a school, it shouldn't be a surprise that there is a nurse's office."

"I'm sorry guys" I apologized. "But right now I'm not in the mood for any fourth wall breaks."

"Sorry Annie" apologized both Grace and Bethany.

The three of us made sure Harry and Bradford were okay and all patched up. "Bradford ended up okay rather quickly, but Harry took a little more patching up to due taking some damage from Den.

"Please Harry" pleaded Grace as she cleaned out some cuts on his face. "You need to start provoking Den even if he deserves it."

"I just can't stand that guy!" growled Harry. "I never could from the beginning and he just went to far that time!"

"Even so" lectured Bethany. "Fighting with each other is only what Bat Wing wants. We all need to make peace and work on teaming up to escape here."

"I do agree" agreed Bradford. "All of this chaos and despair has gone on long enough. We really need to pull together."

Harry just looked away from Bradford and seemed a bit angry at him.

"I guess Harry is still hesitant to fully trust Bradford even if he has really changed for the better" I thought to myself.

My anxiety kept going up until we finished treating Harry and left the nurse's office. It was still early in the day and only around noon.

"What should we do now?" I asked.

"Well I doubt any of us had really eaten this morning" replied Grace. "We should head to the cafeteria so I can make us something to eat."

"Sounds like a plan" smiled Bethany.

"I could definitely go for some food" agreed Bradford.

"Yeah... sure I guess" muttered Harry.

"Poor Harry" I thought to myself. "Will you ever go back to the happy, nice guy you once were?"

The five of us headed to the cafeteria to enjoy some of Grace's delicious food. Although it didn't full cure any depression, it did certainly help life our spirits. The five of us also enjoyed some good conversations.

"Wonderful as always Grace" said Bethany happily.

"Thank you Bethany, I'm glad you enjoyed it" replied Grace.

"We'll all have to get together once we get out of here so we can enjoy your cooking even more" I added.

"For sure!" replied Grace cheerfully.

"Haven't seen Den or Zoe since they left the court room" added Bradford. "Doesn't look like they'll be joining us."

"Forget about those two" replied Harry.

"Easy guys" I cut in. "Just enjoy our time together for now."

"Annie is right" agreed Bethany. "This is our time to get back on our feet before continuing our fight to escape here alive."

"I'll leave some food our for Den and Zoe in case they get hungry and come by" said Grace. "Surely they must be after all of that this morning."

Harry just looked away as he continued to eat and Bradford looked a bit nervous himself.

"I'm sorry guys" I thought to myself. "I wish I could help the both of you."

"I feel like we should focus more on those clues Bat Wing showed us before" stated Bradford. "There has to be some merit behind them."

"And also how we all got stuck in this situation in the first place" added Grace.

"Our lack of remembering anything before trapped here is also important" added Bethany.

"Don't forget about Bat Wing and this whole thing in general" added Harry. "Just who exactly is running this show?"

"All important things to keep in mind and to consider" I replied. "We'll all work hard at finding out the answers we seek soon enough."

My friends and I continued to eat while enjoying both serious and causal conversations. Even with Bradford still not feeling he deserves redemption, Harry not being himself, and Den and Zoe still being cruel and uncooperative, my hope was starting to return. We wrapped up eating and all pitched in help do the dishes. Grace made sure to leave some food out for Den and Zoe incase they came by and were hungry. We all then headed out of the cafeteria together.

"Thank you again for another wonderful meal Grace" thanked Bradford.

Bethany, Harry, and I all thanked Grace as well.

"Don't worry about it guys! It is always my pleasure" blushed Grace.

"What is our next step?" asked Harry.

"I need to workout as everything that happened this morning has physically worn me down" answered Bethany. "I will be in the gym exercising, but I will see of you at dinner later tonight."

Bethany waved to us before jogging off.

"I'm pretty tired" replied Grace. "I'm gonna rest up in my room before preparing dinner for tonight. Bye guys!"

Grace waved too before walking off.

"I.. I need some time to myself as well" added Bradford.

Bradford simply walked away and when I turned from him Harry was also walking off. I waited until Bradford was out of ear range before calling to Harry.

"Harry!" I called.

Harry turned back to me looking a little down.

"Yes Annie?"

"Harry... you.. you seem different recently. Are you sure you're alright?"

Harry just stared at me for a few moments.

"I mean.. no.. not really."

"What is it Harry?" What has been troubling you?"

"Well.. besides the situation we're stuck in just really getting to me... I have had it with Den.. and Bradford."

"What?" I asked shocked.

"I know it isn't a secret that Harry hates Den, but what could possibly be the situation with Bradford?" I thought to myself.

"Why Bradford?"

"I just..." paused Harry. "I just can't trust that guy. I can't really explain it, but I can't and don't want to trust him."

"But Harry.."

"I'm sorry Annie, I need to be alone for awhile."

Harry started to walk away slowly.

"It isn't jealous is it Harry?"

Harry stopped walking and turned around to face me.

"What?"

"You're jealous of Bradford, is that it?"

Harry glared at me before turning around to walk away.

"Harry!" I called.

But Harry just ignored me as he walked away, I could tell he was at least a little angry.

"Why did I say that?" I asked myself. "What kind of ultimate therapist makes people feel worse? I want Harry to not be mad at Bradford, but I can't make him even more mad."

As I felt pretty lousy now, I decided to just head up to my room to rest up for a bit. I continued to feel lousy and anxious the whole walk there.

"When are we gonna get out of here?" I asked myself. "How many more of us have to die? No! I don't want to think about anymore of us dying!"

I reached my room and hopped onto my bed. Thankfully I dosed off pretty quickly.


	50. Chapter 50-Another Clue

After napping for a few hours, I hopped out of bed and decided I was in the mood for a swim. I changed into a bathing suite and headed down to the pool with my pool necessities. When I got to the pool, I saw that Bradford was swimming in the pool.

"Hey Bradford!" I greeted.

Bradford turned to me and smiled.

"Hello Annie" he returned the greeting.

"I would of thought the ultimate track and field star would be running or something."

"I do run when I can, but I also know how to swim and being in the water is always relaxing."

"Haha, fair enough. Can I join you?"

"Go for it"

I tossed my stuff down and jumped into the pool and Bradford and I enjoyed swimming with each other for a decent amount of time. It was so much fun spending time with him and he honestly gives off somewhat Gordon vibes, although what he and I had I will never have with Bradford.

Bradford and I were having a splash fight when I thought I saw Harry walking by and seeing us in the pool. I couldn't focus too much on him as Bradford was putting up quite a fight, but I swear I saw Harry glare at me before walking away.

"Oh Harry" I thought to myself. "I'm sorry Harry, I'm so sorry."

Bradford and I finished our splash fight and then got out of the pool to dry off and sit down.

"This.. this was fun Annie" said Bradford.

"I had fun too" I replied smiling at him.

After drying off and changing back into our clothes, Bradford and I decided to go for a walk around the school. We ran into Bethany who was heading back to the gym to do some more running and despite us being a little exhausted from playing in the pool, we decided to join her.

I then spent a decent amount of time running around the gym with Bradford and Bethany, we were all enjoying ourselves, but I still couldn't feel guilty about upsetting Harry earlier. After running around for a bit, the three of us sat down against the gym walls to take a break.

"Nice workout girls" said Bradford.

"Yes" agreed Bethany after taking a sip from her water bottle. "It is always more enjoyable to train when you have friends to do it with."

"Friends?"

"Why so shocked Bradford?" I asked. "You know we're all friends here, so of course you're our friend."

"I... it... still... still fell bad about how I was before" Bradford finally said.

"How so?" asked Bethany.

"Just..."

"Please Bradford" I pleaded. "I already told you before that that was the old you and you really have changed for the better. No reason for you to keep living in the past. You are our friend now."

"Annie is right" agreed Bethany. "We will all escape here together."

Bradford just looked away a little nervously.

"Why Bradford?" I asked myself. "Why do you still feel this way after all this time? You're our friend."

The three of us continued to talk for several more hours until Grace came into the gym to inform us that dinner was ready and we headed to the cafeteria. However, it was only Bethany, Bradford, Grace, and I who were there to enjoy dinner. Den and Zoe I could understand, but where was Harry?

"Where is Harry at?" I asked as we sat down.

"Harry came to me before hand and said he wasn't feeling really sociable and just took some food to his room" answered Grace.

"Is he alright?" asked Bradford.

"We shouldn't worry about Harry" replied Bethany. "This situation affects everyone different and it certainly has affected Harry recently."

"Yeah that must be it" agreed Grace.

"I know the real reason" I thought to myself sadly. "And it is all my fault. I really need to talk to Harry the next chance I get."

My friends and I enjoyed a nice dinner before deciding to call it a night. Grace left some food out for Den and Zoe incase they came by and we helped her clean up. We then headed to our rooms and said goodnight. I headed into my room and did my usual nighttime routine before lying on my bed to think.

"I really need to talk to Harry" I thought to myself. "And I honestly wish Den and Zoe would be a little more cooperative. With so little of us left, we really need all the help we can get."

Those were my last thoughts before I drifted off to a nice sleep. I woke up the next morning feeling pretty good at the moment. I hopped out of bed and did my usual morning routine before heading out of my room. I of course headed on down to the cafeteria for another wonderful breakfast made by Grace.

When I reached the cafeteria, Grace was already preparing breakfast for everyone on the tables.

"Good morning Grace" I greeted.

"Good morning Annie" Grace returned the greeting.

"Need some help?"

"Nope! I just finished. Grab a plate and help yourself hun."

"Thank you very much!"

I grabbed my plate and got myself some food. Grace did the same and we both sat down to start eating. Bethany came down to join us not long afterwards and Bradford did as well just a little bit longer after her. The four of us enjoyed some nice talks.

"I'm impressed with your athletic talents Bethany and Bradford" stated Grace. "I know for sure I would never make it in that field."

"Don't think on it too hard Grace" replied Bethany. "We all have our talents and are all ultimate in something. Regardless of what it is, we all have something that makes us special."

"Bethany is right" agreed Bradford. "No one could ever plan an event as well as you Grace."

"Thanks guys" blushed Grace.

"And of course Annie knows how to help people the best with her talent as the ultimate therapist" added Bethany.

"Even though this crappy writer has never wrote a time where I helped anyone really, only me being comforted!" I bitterly broke the fourth wall to myself.

"I know we'll all have wonderful futures in our ultimate talent fields once we get out of here" said Bradford.

"We sure do I!" I agreed.

We chatted a bit longer as we ate until Harry strolled into the cafeteria.

"Morning Harry" greeted Grace. "Come join us."

"Uh.. well actually..." Harry tried to protest until the intercoms clicked on.

"Attention final seven!" shouted Bat Wing. "I have a special treat for you! Get your asses to the library now!"

The intercoms clicked off and everyone just stood in silence for a bit.

"Wonderful" commented Bethany. "I do wonder what he has in store for us this time."

"Whatever it is, we better check it out" replied Bradford who was getting out of his seat.

The rest of us got out of our seats and started to walk out of the cafeteria. Nobody except me noticed it, but Harry appeared a bit relieved he didn't have to finish his sentence and tried to walk a bit faster than the rest of us, but didn't make it obvious when we all caught up to him."

"Harry" I thought to myself sadly.

The five of us walked to the library in silence and headed in when we reached the entrance. Zoe was already there waiting with Bat Wing. She looked really annoyed and impatient.

"About damn time you people got here" complained Zoe. "I don't have all damn day."

"Well we're not gonna hurry for you" snapped back Grace.

"Settle down everyone" urged Bethany as she turned to Bat Wing. "What is it Bat Wing?"

"Still waiting on our ultimate pyro to show up" replied Bat Wing.

Harry appeared angry at the mention of Den and turned away from the group. Zoe continued to look impatient.

"You people are so slow" stated Zoe.

We waiting for about ten more minutes until Den came strolling into the library. He looked annoyed already and quite angry.

"Den.." Grace tried to say.

"Shut the hell up and don't talk to me" snarled Den as he walked past us.

"Do we even need this hot head here?" asked Harry who was obviously trying to start something.

Den immediately turned to Harry and raised his fist as he started walking towards him. Harry raised his own fists until Bethany stepped in between the two of them and faced Den.

"Both of you stop it" growled Bethany. "We will not have anymore of your petty fighting."

"I wouldn't call it fighting when it comes to Arrow Head" mocked Den. "Just an utter waste of time."

Harry got angry and tried to go around Bethany to get to Den, but Bradford ran up to him and pulled him back.

"Take it easy man!" urged Bradford.

Harry got even more angry and broke out of Bradford's grasp.

"Don't touch me" growled Harry who walked away from us a bit.

"Harry what has gotten into you?" asked Grace.

"Everyone chill out!" yelled Bat Wing. "As much as I like seeing a pre murder, I called you here for a reason!"

"Which was what exactly?" asked Zoe.

"Another clue!" answered Bat Wing.

"What kind of of clue?" I asked.

"Just a little something to reward you for making it this far and of course give you some false hope."

Bat Wing pulled out a photograph and placed it on a bookshelf before turning back to us."

"Have fun."

Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling, leaving us to see what he had left."

"We need to check this out" stated Grace.

Slowly we gathered around the bookshelf to look at the photograph that Bat Wing claimed was a clue. After we got a look at it for a few seconds, we all had shocked reactions."

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Den.

"What... what is this?" asked Bethany.

"No way" replied Harry.

"This can't be real!" said Bradford.

The photograph was of all of us and everyone had died so far in this killing game standing on the bleachers in the gym and we appeared to be posing for a class photo.

"This surely is interesting" noted Zoe.

"Like Bradford said, this has got to be fake" claimed Grace. "Bat Wing just used really good photoshop skills to create this photo to mess with us!" 

"But.. are we sure though?" I replied.

"What else can it be Annie?" asked Bradford. "No one knew each other before we were trapped in this place and none of us had actually attended classes here. This photo is fake."

"And you assume that Bat Wing is just trying to mess with us?" asked Bethany.

"Has to be that."

"Everyone who has died so far is in this photo" confirmed Zoe.

"You're right" replied Harry. "Shauna, Clay, Mara, Gordon..."

"Everyone" remarked Bethany.

"Whatever in the end" stated Den. "Nothing I need to lose my shit over, I'm out of here."

"Den!" I called out.

But Den simply walked out of the library.

"Don't worry about him Annie" said Grace. "We should know everything we need to about this fake photo."

"Agreed" agreed Bradford.

Everyone started to leave the library, but I stood there thinking about it a bit longer before joining them.

"Just what exactly is going on here?" I thought to myself.


	51. Chapter 51-Worst Motive

After seeing that picture, the next couple days just simply went by. Everyone who was left continued to look for a way out and any other possible clues on our situation, though not together unfortunately. Den and Zoe kept their distance from the rest of us as usual and even Harry continued to distance himself from the rest of us.

I knew he was still angry with me, whenever our eyes made contact the few times he was in the same room as the rest of the group, he glared and turned to a new direction. It only made me feel like shit even more.

At least Bethany, Grace, and Bradford still had the right ideas on working together and keeping good chemistry. The four of us ate and searched together, as well as enjoyed several fun activities and meaningful conversations together. I was also seriously happy that Bradford seemed to have finally gotten over his past and accepted he had changed for the better.

Pretty much, the next couple of days just went by and even though it was nice to not have any horrible motives or murders, I just new Bat Wing would come up with something soon and even if it was peaceful at the moment, we still weren't any better off on getting out of Future Hope.

The next morning, I gathered at the cafeteria with Bethany, Grace, and Bradford to enjoy another delicious breakfast prepared by Grace.

"Delicious as always Grace" smiled Bradford.

"Thanks Bradford!" thanked Grace. "I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"I agree" agreed Bethany. "Though I do wish Harry was here to join us."

"Me too" I replied.

"I left some out for him, Den, and Zoe." stated Grace. "At least he won't be hungry."

"I just wish we knew what was going on with him at the moment" sighed Bethany.

"I do" I sadly thought to myself. And even though I still felt bad for upsetting Harry before and still want him to be with us, it was quite frustrating on how childish he was acting for so long.

"I can't say for sure what Harry's deal is" added Bradford. "But at this point, we're all not at our full percent. This game... this game has just done too much to us."

"No argument there" agreed Grace. "I'm surprised I can still pretty much function after all we seen."

"Where is help though?" I asked out loud. "Why hasn't anyone found us? Is anyone even looking?"

Bethany put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I don't have those answers Annie, but you know we can't give up on hope. We just gotta believe and keep trying to get out."

"Yeah for sure!" hyped up Bradford. "We can do this!" 

I smiled at my friends. "Thanks guys."

The four of us had a wonder breakfast and then we all pitched in to clean up and do the dishes. Harry, Den, and Zoe never came down for breakfast. Grace left them a note on a table saying there was some leftovers in the fridge if they came in. After that, we all walked out of the cafeteria.

"What do you guys wanna do now?" I asked.

"How about we hit up the game room?" suggested Grace. "We could all use some fun playing games."

"Sounds like a plan to me" agreed Bradford.

"Very well" stated Bethany.

"Then it is settled!" I declared.

We headed for the game room and had a fun time playing pool and darts, although it did kind of remind me of the first murder, but overall I had a fun time playing with my friends. Afterwards, we all went to the pool and spent some time swimming, we all had a fun time. It was nice, peaceful, and hopeful.

After drying off, we all headed for the cafeteria again to have lunch, when the intercoms clicked on.

"Attention surviving seven!" screamed Bat Wing. "Get your asses to the gym right now! Things have gotten too boring around here! I want to see some fun!"

The intercoms clicked off and we all stood around in silence.

"No" said Grace. "Not again."

"He has a new motive for us" confirmed Bradford. "But we can beat it."

"Right Bradford." agreed Bethany. "We won't allow ourselves to become killers."

The four of us walked to the gym in silence. Despite what my friends had just said, I could tell they all felt unsure about another murder happening again. You can never know the tricks Bat Wing will try to pull and of course there was Den, Zoe, and Harry.

We reached the gym and headed inside. Zoe was already there with Bat Wing, waiting impatiently as usual. They turned to us when we walked in.

"Welcome my dear students!" exclaimed Bat Wing. "I hope you're ready for this one!

"Shut up Bat Wing!" cried Grace. "We don't care what you have to say or what you do!"

"We won't play your game!" I added.

"How idiotic can you people be?" asked Zoe as she brought her hand to her forehead. "Have you fools not been paying attention this whole time?"

"Easy Zoe" replied Bradford. "We need to try and stay positive here."

"Agreed" agreed Bethany. "We are surely up for a challenge with this new motive Bat Wing has planned for us."

"Whatever" replied Zoe, who didn't seem at all to care about what was just said. "Just get on with it."

"Still short two people" replied Bat Wing.

"Den and Harry" I stated.

Harry then walked into the gym and everyone turned to him. He simply looked emotionless.

"Hello Harry" greeted Bethany.

Harry simply nodded and just stood off by himself and pretty much turned his back to us.

"Harry" I said to myself sadly.

"Just waiting on the pyro now" cheerfully announced Bat Wing.

A few minutes later, Den walked into the gym with no cares at all in the world.

"What now you stupid fucking bat?" asked Den.

"Rude!" replied Bat Wing as Den joined us, but also keeping his distance.

I noticed Harry briefly glaring Den with intense hatred in his eyes and it honestly scared me.

"Everyone is here Bat Wing" announced Zoe. "Stop wasting time and get on with it."

"You kids have no respect for your elders!" cried Bat Wing. "But more importantly, time for a new motive!"

"No!" I cried to myself.

"Whatever you try to throw at us, we will not go down!" growled Bethany.

"Actually, you just might my dear punter" replied Bat Wing. "Dehydration might just do that to you."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" demanded Den.

"It has been boring here since the last class trial!" answered Bat Wing. "I wanna see more people die! Therefore, until somebody takes one for the team and commits murder, you seven will no longer have access to any edible water in this school!"

"What?!" cried Grace.

"What.. what is this?!" demanded Harry.

"You can't be serious!" shouted Bradford.

"Don't be idiots" replied Zoe. "Of course he is serious, this is his next trick to get someone to kill."

"A person can only go three days without drinking water" said Bethany. "What about when someone actually dies from dehydration?"

"Not my problem!" replied Bat Wing. "You kids want water that badly, then someone has to be murdered!"

"This is bad!" cried Grace. "This is worse than the last motive!"

"On the contrary" countered Zoe. "This should prove quite interesting."

"You really are a sick, twisted chick" replied Harry.

"Fuck" stated Den.

"Looks like you're all gonna have a lot of fun with this next motive" said Bat Wing. "I'll leave you to it!" Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling, leaving us alone to think about our next situation.

"What.. what are we gonna do guys?" I asked with tears in my eyes.

Bradford noticed and pulled me into a hug. "You'll get through this Annie, I know you will."

Even though the new motive was making me emotional, I noticed both the serious thought Bradford was in and the glares Harry was now giving him."

"We will... have to do our best to survive" Bethany pitifully encouraged.

"No one's best will be good enough" shot down Zoe. "Sure 3 days will last for a bit, but once you become dehydrated, it will eventually kill you or drive you desperate enough to kill for water."

"Stop it!" cried Grace. "Stop talking like that Zoe!"

"This shit is fucked up!" exclaimed Den. "So fucked up!"

"Try to calm down everyone" pleaded Bradford. "Losing our cool is only gonna worsen our situation.

"It already is at its worse dumbass!" shouted Den who started to walk out of the gym.

"Wait Den!" cried Grace.

"Shut up bitch!" shouted Den as he left the gym.

"I keep saying forget about that guy" stated Harry. "He hasn't done a damn thing that is even worth a tiny bit of help during our time being stuck here."

"Easy Harry" replied Bradford.

Harry glared at Bradford before walking towards the door himself.

"Harry!" cried Grace.

But Harry simply ignored her and left.

"Like I said, interesting" added Zoe who also turned towards the exit.

Nobody bothered to call out to her as she left the gym. Now only Grace, Bradford, Bethany, and I remained. The tears continued to form in my eyes.

"Stay calm everyone" assured Bethany. "We still have time before dehydration comes into play, no need for any rash thoughts or actions."

"Well... just have to see... how it turns out" replied Grace.

Bradford continued to think seriously before turning back to us. "You guys will be find, this motive will mean nothing in the end."

Even though my friends were trying to stay positive and reassure me, I couldn't help but think anxious thoughts. I was also starting to get thirsty.

"Guys..." I muttered. "I'm starting to get thirsty.

"Bat Wing said water the only thing that wasn't allowed" replied Bethany. "Of course any other kind of liquid won't help us with dehydration."

"Water" I stated. "I'm thirsty for water."

"It will be alright Annie" comforted Bradford as he pulled me into a hug. "You will be alright."

"We should get out of here and head back to the cafeteria for lunch" said Grace.

We left the gym and went back to the cafeteria to have lunch, with of course no water. Everyone tried to stay positive and cheerful, but I could easily sense the worry in their faces and voices, as well as noticed they were all also getting thirsty.

The rest of the day just ended up being one big blank for me, I really don't remember how it went at all pretty much as I was getting more and more thirsty for water and pretty much beginning to get dehydrated. I don't think I spent the rest of the day with Grace, Bethany, and Bradford, but I definitely noticed they were also getting weaker as well. I think I also may of pasted Den, Zoe, and Harry and they all seemed to already be a bit dehydrated. There was no hope for anyone for the rest of the day.

The next day was pretty much the same, just another one big blank. I know I met up with Grace, Bethany, and Bradford a few times and we tried to stay hopeful, but we all simply knew time was ticking. I don't think any of them were desperate enough to kill someone, but who knows what could happen and of course the scare of dying from dehydration.

I vaguely remembered trying to search for water to drink, even though we had spent some time yesterday trying to find some, but to no success. It was simply hopeless. I didn't see Den or Zoe, but I did run into Harry and I tried to talk to him, but he simply glared at me and walked away quickly. After watching him leave, I silently cried in the hallway.

By the evening, I was just sitting in the courtyard, crying to myself. I just knew something horrible was gonna happen to me, someone else, or even more than one person.

As I cried my eyes out, I noticed Harry and Bradford in the hallway inside, they appeared to be talking or even arguing. From what I got, Bradford tried to talk to Harry, but Harry just brushed off Bradford and walked away. Bradford sighed and looked down at the floor. I quickly brushed away my tears and hopped up to run back inside the school to talk with Bradfod.

"Bradford!" I called.

He turned in my direction, looking a bit shocked. "Hi Annie."

"What were you talking about with Harry?"

Bradford hesitated. "Just... making sure he was alright... and seeing..."

"Seeing what?"

"Seeing... that we were cool. I don't know why still, but I know Harry hasn't really trusted me."

"That isn't tru!.."

"Stop it Annie. I know the guy doesn't trust me and probably doesn't like me."

I just froze for a bit, unable to counter Bradford's words.

Bradford continued. "But you don't need to worry about anything Annie. Everything is going to be alright, I promise you."

"What... Bradford..."

Bradford smiled at me before walking away, I wanted to call out to him, but I just watched him walk away until he was out of sight. I was alone once again and still very thirsty for water.

I decided to go to bed now, I didn't know what what in store for me next, but sleep right now seemed like the best option. I headed for my room and got inside. After my usual nighttime routine, I hopped into bed and tried to dose off. But before I did, I though of Gordon.

"Gordon!" I cried to myself. "I miss you! I miss you making me feel better, despite our horrible situation! Gordon!"

I cried for a bit as I slowly went to sleep. Maybe it will be better if this all ended for me one way or another.

The next morning, I really felt like shit and was really dehydrated. I slowly got out of bed and did my morning routine before heading out of my room. I didn't notice anyone else up yet, so I headed down from the dorms thinking about what to do. I decided just sit by the pool, maybe just put my feet in the water and chill. It might make me feel better.

I slowly walked down to the pool and stepped in with a small smile on my face, but it slowly disappeared as I realized what was now in my sight.

Laying facedown in the water at the end of the pool lay the utltimate track and field star Bradford Evans, I immediately assumed the worst.

"Bradford! Bradford!" I yelled.

I ran over to the pool where he was, I had to make sure.

"Please Bradford! Bradford get up! No Bradford!"

But Bradford didn't get up, he just lay there facedown in the water. I wanted to jump into the pool and hold him tight, but I knew the truth now. Bradford was dead and his body laid facedown in the pool right before my eyes. It was a crime scene that couldn't be disturbed. A crime scene that would soon be investigated.

"Bradford!"

The intercoms clicked on and the instant they did, I knew what was next.

"Attention students!" shouted Bat Wing. "Get the hell up and get down to the pool now!"

There was no hope at all in me right now, simply despair was all I felt as I continued to stare at Bradford's body.


	52. Chapter 52-Despair Investigation

I was simply paralyzed in despair as I continued to stare at Bradford's body floating in the pool. I didn't even notice Bat Wing was in the pool area. Until he spoke up.

"Hey Annie!"

I screamed in shock before quickly turning around to see Bat Wing there. He was holding a box of water bottles.

"Drink up sweetheart! You'll need to be in good health for the investigation and of course the trial!"

I didn't want anything from him, but I quickly took a couple bottles of water and drank up. I soon started to feel a little better.

"Better?"

I ignored him and just threw my empty bottles of water on the ground.

"Someone sure is sassy this morning, but whatever! Now we just got to wait for the others!"

Harry then entered the pool area and turned in our direction. He gasped in shock.

"Bradford... Annie...?"

"Come hydrate Mr. Archer!" said Bat Wing.

Harry ran over to us and grabbed a few bottles of water and quickly drank up. He tossed the bottles on the floor and then turned to me.

"What... what happened Annie?"

"Hey! I hope you plan on picking up those bottles!" growled Bat Wing.

Ignoring Bat Wing, I turned to Harry. "I... I found him here..." I slowly started to tear up.

Harry looked concerned for me and he appeared to be on the verge of comforting me, but he simply looked down at the floor as I slowly teared up.

Grace was the next one to come running into the pool area. She gasped when she saw the crime scene and started to slowly tear up as well, just not as bad as me. She ran over to us.

"Take some water" offered Bat Wing.

Grace quickly drank two bottles of water and then turned to Harry and I.

"Who... who could of done this to Bradford?"

"I... don't know" I replied.

"We'll find who did it though" assured Harry.

Bethany then entered the pool area. Her face was full of shock and terror as she saw Bradford's body in the body. She quickly hurried over to us. Bat Wing offered her water which she quickly drank.

"I had hoped it wouldn't come to this for any of us" said Bethany. "But... we must do it all over again."

"Six times now" added Harry.

"This is... too much" Grace replied with fresh tears in her eyes."

We waited a bit more for Den and Zoe to show up. Zoe arrived next and even though she was dehydrated, she still looked emotionless as ever.

"Well well... what do we have here?"

Zoe walked over and joined the rest of us. Bat Wing offered her some water bottles and she quickly drank up. She tossed her empty bottles onto the floor and turned to us.

"I hope you fools are ready for this."

"What do you mean?" asked Bethany.

"We are now down to six and will need two people for guard duty as usual. Therefore, only four of us will be able to investigate."

"And if the killer is one of those four, then only three people who are actually trying" added Harry.

"Good to know you actually have some common sense."

Den finally came into the pool area. He looked over at the crime scene and didn't seem concerned at all."

"Well then."

Den walked over to us and Bat Wing offered him some water. Den quickly drank up before tossing his bottles onto the ground.

"Rude!" yelled Bat Wing.

"Shut up" replied Den.

"Enough of this crap" demanded Zoe. "Let us finally begin."

"Hang on" paused Bethany. "I just realized, Bat Wing never explained how it works when someone discovers a body."

"That is true" agreed Harry. "It always just seems that everyone gets call to the location of the body when one person finds it."

"Looks like that dumbass of a fucking author forget to mention a rule for body discoveries like fifty chapters ago" replied Den. "God, he must really fucking suck at writing this story."

"Hey!" yelled Grace. "Leave the author alone! I'm sure he is doing his best!"

"Hey!" yelled Bat Wing. "Shut up with the fourth wall breaking and pay attention!"

Everyone turned to face Bat Wing.

"As always, everything is the same. You final six will have two hours to investigate and do whatever you want in that time to prepare yourself for the class trial. All of your rooms are unlocked for open access and your phones have been updated with a file on our former track and field star. After those two hours are up, we have the class trial to decide what happens next. Good luck!" Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling, leaving us all alone.

Everyone looked at each other, knowing one out of the six people here had murdered Bradford.

"I..." I began with.

"Shut up" ordered Zoe. "No time to waste."

"Zoe!" replied Grace.

"I said shut up. We don't have time to waste. As always, Bethany and Den will guard the body to prevent any tampering with the crime scene. The rest of us will investigate. Move it."

Everyone looked fed up with Zoe's bitchy attitude, but we can complied. Bethany and Den took their places guarding the body and the crime scene, while Zoe, Harry, and Grace headed out of the pool area to looks for clues. I decided to stick around to start my search here.

First up was the file, so I pulled out my phone to check it out. Bradford was killed at around 2:30am in the morning. The cause of death was drowning and his body was discovered in the pool.

"Great" I thought to myself. "Another murder happening in the middle of the night, so alibis are gonna be hard to prove."

"You looked at the file Annie?" asked Bethany.

"Yeah" I replied, while wiping the last of my tears from my eyes. "Alibis are gonna be hard if it happened in during nighttime, when we all would have been asleep."

"That is true, looks like we're all suspcious at the moment."

"Ha!" laughed Den. "The only suspcious people is that psycho bitch Zoe and arrow freak. My money is on one of them."

"We can't accuse people now Den" I replied. "We can do that at the class trial, but now isn't the time for accusations."

"Shut up bitch."

"Back off Den" growled Bethany. "Now isn't the time for your usual crap."

Den rolled his eyes and turned away from us. I nodded to Bethany and got back to investigating. I turned my focus back to Bradford's body in the pool. I didn't want to get in due to not wanting to get wet and cause I may somehow mess up the crime scene, so I just got as close to the water as possible to get a look at Bradford's body.

I noticed on both of his cheeks and the back of his neck were bruises that I didn't notice he had yesterday.

"Bradford definitely fought the killer!" I thought to myself.

After studying Bradford's body, I went to check all over the pool area for clues, but didn't find anything. However, it was strange that if Bradford fought the killer, then the fact that nothing in the pool area shows signs of a struggle should say something about how Bradford fought the killer.

Seeing as there was nothing left to look around for in the pool area, I waved goodbye to Bethany and headed out. As I headed out, I noticed something I missed when I hurried over to the pool area after Bat Wing's announcement. There was a trail a small trail of water leading away from the pool area, definitely some evidence and tells me a little more about what happened. I kept note of it as I walked away.

I spent a few minutes deciding where to look next as I figured Grace, Zoe, and Harry must of checked the more important places by now. I eventually ended up by the courtyard. Even though I didn't think I would find anything there, I went outside to check it out. I walked through the stones in the courtyard until something caught my attention, a small pile of ashes. I picked them up to inspect them.

"Where could these have come from?" I asked myself.

Keeping the pile of ashes, I quickly left the courtroom and headed for the cafeteria to get a container from the kitchen for them. After securing the evidence, I continued on with my investigation. As I neared the dorms, I ran into Harry.

"Harry!" I greeted.

"Uh... hey Annie" Harry nervously returned the greeting as he tried to hurry past me.

I put my arm out to stop Harry from leaving.

"Don't. We need to talk and clear everything."

Harry nervously looked around before turning back to me. "Listen Annie..."

"No you listen. I'm sorry if I upset you before, but I need you to get it together, we all need you to if we're gonna make it through this class trial."

Harry didn't say saying.

I continued. "I saw you were talking with Bradford yesterday."

Harry froze up. "You saw that?"

"Yeah, he said that he was was just making sure you were alright and that you two were okay with each other, but I did see you pretty much brush him off and walk away without listening."

Harry looked a bit annoyed now. "Yeah, that is all he wanted to talk about before I left."

"There wasn't anything else?"

"No!" yelled Harry, which made me jump back and get a bit anxious. "That is all that happened Annie, now stop wasting my time and go investigate!"

Harry then stomped past me and walked away as I just stood there anxiously.

"Harry" I thought to myself. "Just what are you hiding."

I continued on with my investigation and spent most of the remaining time we had left checking out all eighteen dorms. I gave each room a good tackle, but I didn't find any evidence. After coming out of the last room, I ran into Zoe in the hallway.

"Hey Zoe" I greeted. "Find anything that may help us in the trial?"

"Save it for the trial Annie" replied Zoe. "Though I do wanna ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Were you asleep last night during the murder?"

"Of course I was."

Zoe brushed her hair off her shoulders in annoyance. "Everyone else said the same thing, so it doesn't look like anyone has an alibi."

"Which means all six of us are suspcious and have a chance of being the killer."

"True, but I got my ideas on who it probably is."

'What?... who?!"

Zoe gave me a somewhat disturbing smile. "Like I said Annie, save it for the trial. No fun in revealing important info and ruining the game before it really starts." Zoe then walked into her dorm and shut the door.

"That girl... she is still so messed up!" I thought to myself.

I wanted to keep investigating, but I was getting a little tired and I knew I would have to save my energy for the class trial, also I knew our two hours was close to being up. I decided to head into my room and rest up while I could. I laid on my bed for about ten minutes until I heard the intercoms click on and I knew what was coming.

"Attention final six!" shouted Bat Wing. "Investigation is over! Time to head to the courtroom for our sixth class trial!" The intercoms clicked off as I hopped out of bed.

"This is it" I thought to myself. "Time to find out which one of my remaining classmates drowned Bradford."

I quickly left my dorm room and headed downstairs to the court room. I was the last one to arrive, but it didn't seem like they had been waiting for that long.

"Alright, awesome!" declared Bat Wing. "This should be the best trial yet!"

I quickly looked around at my remaining five classmates, studying each of them for a short moment.

"I'm not the killer obviously" I thought to myself. "Therefore, it has to be one of these five, but who? Bethany, who has always tried to protect those who needed it and keep us united in this terrible situation. Grace, who has always taken care of us by being so kind and making sure we were well fed. Harry, who was the nicest guy for a long time, but has been acting distant and even a little cold recently. Zoe, who has mainly kept to herself and has honestly been quite sinister and viewing the trials as a game. And then Den, who clearly doesn't care about anyone except himself and shows no compassion for anyone around him. One of these five killed Bradford and I'm gonna find out which one of them committed this crime."

"Time to get this show on the road people!" exclaimed Bat Wing. "Head into the courtroom now!"

One by one, we did what Bat Wing said and began the process of uncovering Bradford's killer."


	53. Chapter 53-6th Trial Start

Bat Wing flew up to his chair and eagerly watched us as we took our usual places at our assigned podiums. There truly were a lot of portraits of our fallen classmates now that one for Laurel and Bradford had been added.

"Twelve out of eighteen people have die" I anxiously thought to myself. "Two thirds of us have died, what have we done?"

"Alright people!" began Bat Wing. "I think by now, you should all know the drill."

"We gotta figure out who we think the killer is and vote for a final answer in the end" replied Den. "If we vote right, only the killer dies. If we vote wrong, everyone else dies and the killer finally gets to leave this shithole"

"Hey! You stole my thunder!"

"We heard it enough times, stop wasting our time, so we can finally start" ordered Zoe.

"You kids today and having no respect for your elders! Fine! Trial begin!"

"I can't believe this happened again!" cried Grace. "Why did someone kill Bradford?"

"It is... simply horrible" sighed Bethany.

"Don't you two be talking like that" snapped Den. "One of you could of killed him."

"Den!" yelled Grace. "When will you ever learn?! Accusing people right off the bat never gets us anywhere in these class trials!"

"Yeah" I agreed. "We need to work together to the best of our abilities for now and keep cool heads."

"One of us did ultimately kill Bradford in the end though" replied Harry. "And if the other five are gonna walk out of this courtroom alive, then that killer will have to be found out."

"Then stop wasting time already" demanded Zoe. "You people already wasted enough time already."

"Where to start?" wondered Bethany. "We should get the short and easy stuff cleared up first."

"Well according to the file..." I began anxiously. "The time of death for Bradford was around 2:30am last night."

"During nighttime" added Grace.

"Someone killed him while we were all asleep" continued Den.

"Which means unless you can provide an alibi during that timeframe, it is really looking like any of us could of killed Bradford" finished Harry.

"Correct" I agreed. "I spoke to Zoe during the investigation and she asked everyone to provide an alibi, which no one could."

"Nobody has an alibi" replied Zoe.

"Then all six of us truly all are equally suspicious of being the killer" sighed Bethany.

"I wouldn't say that, but more on that later. Now, what else should be obvious, even to you idiots?"

"What the fuck did you say bitch?!" growled Den.

"Stop it!" I cried. "We need to focus here!"

"The file also said that Bradford's cause of death was drowning, so obviously the killer drowned Bradford" stated Harry.

"Can we all agree it was the pool?" asked Grace. "We found his body in the pool, so we should be able to assume the killer drowned Bradford in the pool somehow?"

"That is a fair assumption" agreed Zoe. "I don't think any of us can think of any other places where the killer could of drowned Bradford and no evidence of another murder location was found during the investigation."

"Or proof of moving the body" agreed Bethany.

"Alright, looks like Bradford was drowned in the pool" said Harry. "But we're still a long way from discovering his killer."

"We should discuss how the killer was able to drown Bradford in the pool" I replied. "That should help us out a lot."

"Obviously the killer stuck his head under water and held him there until he died" snapped Den.

"She means how the killer was able to do that" growled Grace.

"Could the killer of simply knocked Bradford out and drowned him in his weakened state?" asked Bethany.

"Maybe they fought first and the killer got the upper hand?" suggested Harry.

"There weren't any signs of a struggle in the pool are" replied Grace. "Nothing was knocked over, no water splashed anywhere..."

"I do think it is fair to say the killer fought Bradford and they fought in the pool" I interjected.

"Explain yourself" ordered Zoe.

"Gladly, even with there being no sign of a struggle outside the pool, they definitely fought in the pool. I noticed some bruises on the back of Bradford's neck."

"But how does that proof they fought in the pool?" asked Den.

"I was getting to that, there were quite a few small puddles of water on the floor outside the entrancr to the pool area."

"That was most likely left be the killer" added Bethany.

"Alright, guess we can agree on Bradford and the killer fighting in the pool and the killer was able to put up a good enough fight, they were able to drown him."

"Very well" agreed Zoe. "But now on to something more important, what was Bradford doing at the pool during nighttime?"

"Same with the killer" added Grace.

"Why did two people go to the pool during nighttime?" asked Bethany.

"Perhaps Bradford was just going for a swim and whoever killed him just went for a nightly stroll and he passed by the pool?" suggested Den. "He sees Bradford and pulls a Gordon."

I stare at Den in shock and disbelief.

"Did you really have to say that?!" cried Grace.

"What?! You fucking idiots got a better idea on why two people were at the pool last night?" asked Den.

"You better watch yourself Den" growled Harry.

"Enough!" roared Bethany. "Cease this arguing at once and focus on the trial!"

"While I have no problem with someone repeating Gordon's murder methods" began Zoe. "Bradford has his causal clothes on when we found his body and why would he be wearing them if he wanted to go swimming?"

"Shit... Maybe the killer put his clothes on his body to confuse us... or maybe the killer came by after he was done and dried off?"

"I'm not so sure Den" I replied. "Mainly, I don't see Bradford choosing swimming as a nighttime activity."

"I see what you mean Annie" agreed Grace. "He was the ultimate track and field star, so you would think if he was up doing something in the middle of the night, it would be running instead of swimming."

"Well he was found in the pool, not the gym!" growled Den. "He came to the pool for some stupid, fucking reason!"

"I don't think talking about why Bradford went to the pool is gonna get us anywhere" stated Harry. "Mainly due to no one having an alibi, we should focus on who could of overpowered Bradford and drowned him."

"Who... could of done it?" I asked.

"Well obviously the strongest one here is Bethany, surely she is capable of overpowering Bradford" accused Zoe.

"Nonsense!" replied Bethany.

"Don't forget about Den" accused Harry. "He should also be strong enough to overpower Bradford."

"Fuck off Arrowhead!" yelled Den.

"Someone sounds guilty."

"I'm gonna kill your mother fucking!..."

"Stop it!" screamed Grace. "Why can't you people get it!? Fighting and accusing each other won't get us anywhere!"

"Grace is right" I agreed. "Plus, I don't think we can eliminate anyone as suspects just based on our physical strength."

"It has to be someone still" countered Harry. "No offense, but Annie and Grace are probably the least strong out of all of us, so I don't think they could of overpowered Bradford in the pool."

"While I'm happy to not be suspected for once" replied Grace. "Can we really base our accusations off of who could of taken him in a fight? I think I have to agree with Annie. Was Bradford really that strong?"

"Bradford was the ultimate track and field star" confirmed Zoe. "Not only was he fast, but he was strong as well. If he wasn't, he wouldn't of been able to succeed in field events such as hammer throw, javelin throw, shot put, and discus."

"I guess that does make sense" I agreed. "Bradford was strong and would have been hard to take on in a fight, especially if both of you were in a pool."

"Moving on, I would say that Zoe and I have decent physical strength, but nothing in the end that could compare to the physical strength of an ultimate student whose physical strength was important to their talent."

"That leaves us with Bethany and Den" stated Zoe.

"This all just speculation and theories" argued Bethany. "No actual proof that narrows it down to Den and I."

"You assholes keep trying to blame these murders on me!" yelled Den. "You're all full of shit!"

"Someone has to and is the killer" replied Zoe sternly. "And right now, it is looking like one of you two."

"Keep in mind Den, how many times you made a threat to kill someone" responded Harry angrily. "Nobody here or anyone really would be surprised if you turned out be a piece of shit murderer."

"Harry!" cried Grace.

"YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD ARROW FUCK!" roared Den. He jumped off his podium and got ready to run towards Harry, while Harry got ready to fight himself.

"Hey quit it!" yelled Bat Wing.

Den stopped what he was doing and looked up at Bat Wing.

"You got a trial going on Mr. Fire!" continued Bat Wing. "Get your pyro ass back onto your podium right now!"

Den flipped off Bat Wing and then Harry, before returning to his podium.

"Seriously!" began Grace. "Cut this shit out!"

"Den, Harry, everyone... Enough!" I replied.

"Our lives are on the line!" growled Bethany. "Yet, you continue to waste time out of pettiness!"

Harry turned his face away from everyone, while Den just glared angrily. Zoe showed no emotion in her eyes.

"Are you people finished yet?" asked Zoe.

"I.." I tried to say.

"Shut up" ordered Zoe. "Getting back to the actual discussion, Bethany and Den are our prime suspects based on the fact that they are the only two that could of defeated Bradford in the pool, before finishing him off by drowning him."

"This is wrong" I thought to myself. "This just isn't right!"

"It wasn't me you bastards!" yelled Den.

"Without evidence, we can't arrive at this conclusion" stated Bethany.

"Doesn't appear that we really have anything else to go off of" replied Zoe.

"Wait!" I cried. "Hold on!"

"What is it Annie?" asked Grace.

"We can't narrow it down to just Bethany and Den based on our physical strength, it still could have been anyone!"

"How so?" asked Harry.

"Well before, we decided that both the killer and Bradford were in the pool when they fought and when the killer killed Bradford due to Bradford's bruises, the water in the hallway outside the pool area, and no sign of a struggle in the pool area."

"So?" asked Zoe.

"And we also decided that there was no chance the killer simply knocked Bradford out and dragged him to the pool and stuck his head in to finish the job off?"

"Get to the fucking point" demanded Den.

"I... I believe the killer could of simply knocked him out and drowned him in the pool without have to get in themselves. There wouldn't need to be any struggle and it would explain the bruises, just a simple knock out and drag over to the pool to drown him."

"And why would Bradford come to the pool and still be in his causal clothes?" asked Harry.

"Like I said you fucking dumbass, they could of struck after he finished swimming" replied Den.

"I suppose you're right so far Annie" responded Zoe. "And I suppose the killer could of disposed of Bradford's swimsuit since no such thing was found during the investigation. However, the water in the hallway outside of the pool area proves the killer got wet, so how would that of happened if the killer never got in the pool?"

"I can explain that as well" I replied. "At anytime Bradford was in the pool area in his casual clothes, the killer could of got the drop on him and knocked him out. They then dragged him over to the pool to drown him. However, before they could get his head under water or even during the whole ordeal... Bradford regained consciousness and tried to fight back. "However, he was wasn't at full strength from whatever strike knocked him out and wasn't able to escape. The killer did have to put up a bit of a struggle to get Bradford's head underwater, but they were able to do it since Bradford was in a weakened stated. Also the only thing Bradford was probably only able to do was splash around in the water, which most likely got on the killer. After they finished the job and left Bradford's body in the pool, they were wet enough to leave water in the hallway outside of the pool area."

"And you're saying this is how it went down?" asked Harry.

"I didn't say that, just that is was a possiblity and a possiblity that could have been done by any of us."

"And if that is the case" added Bethany. "We can't narrow down the suspect list just based off of our physical strength."

"Anyone is still up for being the killer if that is the case" finished Den.

"Makes sense to me" replied Grace.

"Very well" shrugged Zoe. "But we're still at square one then and we appear to be out of things to talk about."

"Is there... nothing left to discuss?" asked Bethany.

"There has to be!" urged Harry. "We just gotta think!"

"No!" I cried to myself. "We can't be out of options yet! We still have no idea who the killer could be!"

"What else... do we have to talk about?" asked Grace.

"We could go back to why Bradford and the killer went to the pool area during nighttime" suggested Den.

"No one had anything to suggest then and I doubt anyone has anything to add to that now" replied Zoe. "We can't waste time on questions we can't come up with any answers to."

"Perhaps the killer... was desperate because of the motive and was just looking to kill someone" suggested Grace.

"As in they didn't target Bradford? They were just looking to kill someone?" asked Harry.

"We were all quite thirsty when we finally got water today" stated Bethany. "The motive definitely affected all of us physically, so I wouldn't be surprised if dehydration really got to someone mentally and made them just want to kill the first person they could."

"The killer could have been observing the hallway of our rooms from their very room" continued Grace. "Dehydration could of caused them to lose it, but they still had the sense to stay back and wait for a chance to kill. They saw Bradford leave his room and head to the pool where they killed him."

"By drowning" I added.

"That does... appear possible" agreed Bethany.

"But it doesn't narrow down the suspect list!" responded Den.

"Anyone could of done that" said Harry. "We are all still possible killers."

"Oh no!" I cried to myself. "What are we gonna do?"

"Do... do we just guess and hope for the best?" asked Grace

"We can't!" argued Bethany. "One out of six guessing isn't good odds!"

"Fuck!" shouted Den.

"Settle down you idiots" replied Zoe. "This isn't over yet."

"What do you mean?" asked Grace.

"Do you have something else we can go on Zoe?" I asked.

"Indeed" replied Zoe. She then paused for a moment.

"Well fucking spit it out already!" demanded Den.

"Don't keep us in the dark!" urged Harry.

"What do you have for us Zoe?" asked Bethany.

"The killer..." began Zoe. "The killer is Harry."

"Harry!?" I cried in surprise.

"What the hell?!" asked Harry in shock.

"What the!..." replied Grace.

"Where is your evidence to support your claim that Harry killed Bradford?" asked Bethany.

"Are you people seriously that stupid?" asked Zoe. "Are you just not observant or are you just that dumb?"

"Watch it bitch!" growled Den.

"You need evidence Zoe!" I stated. "You can't just accuse Harry without any evidence!" 

"Shut your mouth and let me finish" ordered Zoe.

"How about you shut up!" yelled Harry. "You don't got shit on me!"

"Harry! Please calm down!" begged Grace.

"You people truly don't know how to act" muttered Zoe. "But allow me to explain why I believe Harry is our killer, surely you have been noticing his recent behavior."

"What kind of behavior?" asked Bethany.

"I'm not following" I replied.

"You of all people not knowing Annie?" asked Zoe. "I'm disappointed, but allow me to explain if I have to." Zoe gave a somewhat sinister smile. "Ever since the death of Gordon, Harry has had special feelings for Annie and they may of already been developing while she was still with Gordon."

"What?!" replied Harry.

"That is too far Zoe!" growled Bethany.

"Hey shut the fuck up!" yelled Den. "If this shit can pinpoint the killer, then let it happen!"

"As I was saying" replied an annoyed Zoe. "Harry wanted to be with Annie, but what guy did she spend alone time with?"

"Bradford!" gasped Grace.

"You're seriously full of shit Zoe!" barked Harry.

"Just what are you implying Zoe?!" asked Bethany.

"Harry was jealous of Bradford" continued Zoe. "Add the motive and the effects of dehydration into all of this, as well as the fact that Bradford was the victim, Harry being the killer sounds like our best guess at this point."

"Bullshit!" shouted Harry. "This is all fucking bullshit! You got no proof you stupid, fucking cunt!"

"Harry!" gasped Grace.

"Quite the vocabulary you have there" shrugged Zoe.

"I can get behind Arrow Fuck being the killer" agreed Den. "I can see him being jealous of Bradford since Annie was sleeping with him."

"Enough of this talk at once!" shouted Bethany.

"You're both fucking wrong and full of shit!" yelled Harry.

"We need to calm down!" exclaimed Grace.

I started to get anxious and felt tears fall down my face, this was all too much.

"Let's vote for the fucking arrowface and wrap up" said Den.

"We have not decided on a killer yet" growled Bethany.

"You got no fucking proof!" shouted Harry.

"Explain your behavior then Harry" ordered Zoe. "Explain why you been so distant from your friends and why you never seemed to fully accept Bradford?"

"I..." began Grace. "I have to agree Harry, you have been acting a bit strange and distant for awhile now."

"I will not say you're the killer until I have proof" replied Bethany. "But you really should explain yourself."

"No!" shouted Harry. "This is all..."

"Got nothing to say there killer?" asked Den.

"Stop it Den!" cried Grace.

Harry looked extremely pissed off and uncomfortable due to being put on the spot like that.

"Annie" Zoe began. "Wouldn't you agree that Harry's behavior recently has been strange?"

"How does she even know all of this?!" I asked myself. "Does she spy on us or is she just really that observant?"

"I'm sorry Harry" I apologized. "But you haven't been yourself recently."

Harry balled his fists in frustration. "That still isn't proof I'm the killer!"

"Do we have anything else besides Harry's behavior?" asked Grace. "Maybe someone saw Bradford yesterday before he died?"

"Harry definitely saw him right before he died" replied Den. "Considering he is the one who drowned him."

"Enough Den!" shouted Bethany.

"Your poor sense of humor has no place in the courtroom" replied Zoe.

Harry was getting more angry with each accusation against him and everything said by Den.

I grew more anxious, but I knew what I had to do. "I... I have to take this trial in the right direction to get to the bottom of Bradford's murder!" I thought to myself.

"I know who saw Bradford not too long before he died" I stated.

"Who?" asked Grace eagerly.

"Please enlighten us" replied Zoe.

"Yesterday evening I came across Bradford and Harry talking in the hallway of the courtyard" I answered.

"Gotcha arrow freak!" yelled Den.

"No!..." began Harry.

"Continue Annie" interrupted Zoe.

"It was only for a bit" I continued. "But they appeared to be arguing when I first got a glance.

"We weren't arguing!" denied Harry.

"Harry" cut in Bethany. "It may not seem like it, but it would be in your best interest to let Annie finish before responding."

"At first, I didn't get what they were talking about" I continued. "But Harry appeared to not want to listen to what Bradford had to say, so Harry just walked away from Bradford. After that, I went back inside to talk to Bradford about what happened."

"What did Bradford tell you?" asked Grace.

"Pretty much..." I tried to say. "Pretty much that Bradford wanted to make sure he and Harry were alright, as Bradford believed Harry has never trusted or even liked him."

"Noted" stated Zoe.

"Looking pretty guilty here Arrow Boy" snarked Den.

"Fuck off!" shouted Harry.

"Anything else Annie?" asked Zoe.

"No" I replied. "That was all Bradford said to me and that was the last time I saw him."

"Arguing and being angry with the victim sure doesn't help out Arrow Fuck" stated Den.

"Fuck you!" growled Harry. "And what Annie said is all bullshit! Bullshit! Bradford and I never argued! Annie is fucking lying!"

"Wha... what?!" I replied shocked.

"What are you saying Harry?" asked Grace.

"What Annie has just said is all lies!" replied Harry. "Bradford never tried to talk to me about us! Annie made it all up!"

"But why would she do that?" asked Bethany.

"Because!... Maybe she was the one to kill him!"

I nearly fell off my podium due to this accusation.

"Wha... wha..." I couldn't even find the words to respond.

"Explain now Harry" ordered Zoe.

"Annie could of killed Bradford!" replied Harry. "I mean... she was always hanging around Bradford... so she probably had plenty of chances to kill him! And just now... she came up with those lies to throw me under the bus when Zoe accused me! But it is all lies! Bradford never talked to me!"

"Harry!" I cried to myself. "Just... just what are you doing?!"

"Pathetic" added Zoe.

"What with the who now?" asked Den.

"Harry claims Annie is lying about him arguing with Bradford, but Harry is the one lying."

"Nobody can prove shit!" countered Harry.

"My god you are absolutely pathetic and worthless... Did you honestly forget what you said before? You said you weren't arguing with Bradford when Annie stated she saw you two talking in the hallway from the courtyard."

"You did say that Harry" gasped a shocked Grace.

"We weren't arguing were your exact words" added Bethany.

"Which means you acknowledged you two were discussing something" finished Zoe. "Which also means you just lied."

"I... I... I..." Harry tried to think of a response.

"I think we're finally done here, Harry is our best choice of the killer due to his obvious strange behavior and being caught in a lie finishes it all."

"Harry... say it isn't true!" cried Grace.

"At least you'll meet up with your dead trivia nerd friend" laughed Den.

"Den!" yelled Bethany. "One more comment like that and you'll be answering to me!" She then turend to Harry. "Harry... is it true? Did you drown Bradford?"

"No... No! It was't me!" responded Harry.

My anxiety started to go up higher as everyone responded to the possibility that Harry was the final decision on who the killer is. I didn't want this though. I didn't want it to be Harry. I needed to take the trial in the right direction, any right direction. But was Harry the answer all along? Did he drown Bradford in the pool?

I started to think fast about everything, before my classmates were ready to vote Harry as the killer, I needed to be sure before we voted. I thought back to every small detail, anything that could be a clue in the slightest.

"Wait!" I thought to myself. "This... this might just be it!"


	54. Chapter 54-The Killer?

"I think we got all we need" said Den. "Time to vote and watch Harry Boy get shot to death with arrows or whatever."

"I can't... believe this!" cried Grace, who had tears running down her face.

"Listen to me!" shrieked Harry. "I didn't do it! I didn't kill Bradford!"

"Don't waste my time with your words" replied Zoe. "This is over."

Bethany clenched her fist and tried to say something, but couldn't come up with anything and lowered her head.

I quickly repeated what I had just realized in my mind a few times, so that I was prepared to speak in front of everyone and hopefully get them to understand where I was coming from. My anxiety started to kick in again.

"I... I can do this" I thought to myself.

"Bat Wing" started Zoe. "We're ready to vote now."

"Wait!" I cried. "Stop!"

"Annie?" asked a teary eyed Grace.

"Do you have something you want to say Annie?" asked Bethany.

"Don't waste my life with a bunch of bullshit" said Den. "Harry is the killer."

Harry looked like he was ready to explode on Den, so I acted quickly.

"No!" I cried. "I... I have something that you all need to see."

I quickly pulled the container holding the ashes I found in the courtyard out of my pocket and held it out for everyone to see.

"What is in there Annie?" asked Bethany.

"What is this nonsense?" asked Zoe.

"Ashes" I answered. "I found these ashes on some stones in the courtyard.

"So?" asked an annoyed Den.

"I... I truly believe this piece of evidence points to who the killer is."

"What?: asked Grace while she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Harry just stared at me in shock, not really knowing how to react.

"You truly are more stupid than I thought Annie" stated an annoyed Zoe. "I can't believe I was actually giving you some credit before since I thought you were smarter than these other idiots. But you're just as stupid."

"Hey! Let her talk!" cried Harry.

"There is no way a random pile of ashes have anything to do with this case."

"Yeah!" agreed Den. "You're still the killer Arrow Boy!"

"Let her explained!" yelled Harry.

"Cease this childish arguments and let Annie talk!" interfered Bethany.

Everyone calmed down for the most part and focused on me and my ashes, I grew more anxious, but managed to keep it together.

"If my thoughts are correct, these ashes might just be the damning evidence that points out the killer."

"Explain" ordered Zoe. "Now."

"The water in the hallway outside the pool area proves the killer got wet, wether that was from getting in the pool to drown Bradford or just being splashed by him, the killer definitely got wet. And due to the water in the hallway outside of the pool area only being small amounts, we can assume the killer started to dry off while still in the pool area."

I paused for a bit to see how everyone was taking it all in.

"But... but how do the ashes come into all this?" asked Grace.

"Arrow Freak is still guilty" added Den.

"Shut the fuck up Arsonist!" shouted Harry.

"The fuck did you just say!?"

"Enough!" yelled Bethany.

Things were starting to heat up, I knew I had to show everyone my conclusion quickly.

"What do you think the killer used to dry themselves off with?" I asked.

"Huh?" asked Grace.

"Used to dry themselves off with?" asked Bethany.

"Obviously it was a towel" answered Zoe.

"Correct" I confirmed. "Obviously the killer used a towel to dry themselves off with after drowning Bradford and they could of easily gotten it from the pool area."

"But what does the towel the killer used to dry themselves off with have to do with it pointing back to them?" asked Bethany.

"No one found the towel the killer used during the investigation."

"No" answered Harry. "No one found the towel."

"Harry probably hid it in a good spot" replied Den.

"Stop it!" I cried. "We didn't find the towel, but I did find these ashes in the courtyard."

"I fail to see anything you're saying having any meaning" replied Zoe.

"Annie..." began Grace. "What are you saying?"

"We didn't find the towel because the killer tried to get rid of it" I continued. "They may of just been in a panic to keep anything from pointing to them, so they decided to get rid of the towel they used to dry off."

"And how did they do that?" asked Den.

"The ashes I found" I continued. "I found them in the courtyard, why were ashes in the courtyard?"

"I... I don't know" answered Bethany.

"Just tell us Annie!" urged Harry.

"There shouldn't be any ashes in the courtyard" I answered. "Someone put them there... and... and... for this case... the only reason ashes were put there... was to hide evidence!"

"Hide evidence?" asked Grace.

"Wait" said Zoe. "Are you saying..."

"The ashes I found in the courtyard are all that remains of the towel the killer used to dry themselves off after drowning Bradford!" I interrupted. "The killer tried to dispose of the towel by burning it to ashes!"

"Oh my god!" cried Bethany.

"Then... if that is what happened..." Harry tried to say.

"Who... who would of burned the towel to hide it?" asked Grace.

"The only person that would do that..." I started with. "Is Den!"

Everyone turned their attention to Den, who just stared back at us with no emotion in his eyes.

"Interesting" reported Zoe. "You suspect Den to be the killer now."

"Den... Den Fire is the ultimate pyro" I confirmed. "His talent revolves around easily starting fires. It should be no hard task for him to simply burn a towel to ashes. Remember when Bat Wing kept this place at freezing temperatures? Den admitted he was never cold and it was..."

"All due to his talent" realized Bethany.

"Well Den?" asked Harry angrily.

Den just stared back at us for a bit before speaking up. "Is that all you have to say? You think because of some ashes, that I must be the killer?"

"No" I responded. "The ashes are just icing on the cake. But you Den... I know you're the one who killed Bradford."

"Then show me what you got bitch."

"Gladly! "I focused everything on Den. "As it was discussed before Den and Bethany are the strongest ones here in terms of physical strength. While everyone was capable of knocking Bradford out, you had a better chance than most of us at overpowering him in the pool before drowning him."

Den laughed. "You still can't be sure what went down! We don't know if the killer knocked him out or fought him before drowning him in the pool."

"We don't, you're right there. However, the ashes still point to you as the most suspcious. Also... we all know several times you threatened Harry and while you didn't kill him, you mentioned just killing quite a few times out of anger... I'm... I'm not surprised if you actually kept your promise."

Den stared at me again with no emotion in his eyes.

"Hold up here" cut in Zoe. "Harry was caught in a lie about arguing with Bradford yesterday. That should be enough to point to him as the killer."

"I..." Harry tried to say.

"I can explain it all" I replied. "It is true Harry has been acting strange with his behavior and keeping distance from his friends, but the truth is it is kind of my fault."

"Your fault?" questioned Grace.

"Annie..." Harry tried to say.

"Harry was concerned about if Bradford truly changed for the better as a person" I continued. "And due to him and I spending a lot of time with each other... Harry was concerned for me. However... I stupidly just told Harry he was jealous of Bradford... which was the last thing he needed to hear."

Harry looked away from me as everyone else focused on what I had to say.

"This is..." Bethany tried to say.

"Haha" laughed Den.

"After that is when Harry got really distant from the rest of us" I continued. "It was due to what I said to him and then just now... Zoe accusing him of being the killer... and everyone else seeming to agree... It isn't a surprise that Harry freaked out and lost it... That... is all."

"That isn't good enough for me" replied Zoe. "Harry is.."

"Innocent" cut in Den.

Everyone stared at Den in shock.

"What did you say?" asked Bethany in shock.

"Den?" I replied.

"You got it right there Annie" answered Den. "I did it. I drowned Bradford."

Den simply put his hands in his pockets as everyone continued to stare at him.

"Oh... oh wow" replied Grace.

"Then..." Harry tried to say.

"You... you killed Bradford?" Zoe asked in shock, which was a first for her.

"Do I have to fucking repeat myself?" Den asked in annoyance. "I fucking did it. I'm the killer. Start the votes already Bat Bitch."

"Rude!" shot back Bat Wing. "But I think you guys have had enough! Voting time!"

Like with every class trial, the screens came down for us to select who we thought the killer was. Very slowly, one by one everyone voted still in shock, with the exception of Den of course. I had figured that Den was the killer, but I didn't expect him to admit it when everything came out, I thought he would of put up quite a fight.

"Alright students!" exclaimed Bat Wing. "You have voted and..." Bat Wing paused on purpose to just get to us.

"Just say it!" cried Grace.

"Fine Miss Ruins Parties, even though she's the ultimate event planner... You got it right! The one who killed Bradford Evans was Den Fire!"

Everyone stared at Den in shock, even Zoe. It was so weird for her to have any kind of emotion in her face. I guess she was set on Harry being the killer and it shocked her to the core, when she realized she was so close to voting for the wrong person.

"Den... It really was you?" asked Bethany.

"For the sake of fuck" replied Den. "Didn't you just hear that stupid bat?"

"Hey!" cried Bat Wing.

"Oh... Oh wow!" I muttered.

"I can't believe it" stated Zoe. "I was... so close to voting for Harry."

Harry hadn't moved until Zoe spoke those words, suddenly he was pissed off again as he got off his podium.

"You piece of shit!" he cried. "You fucking bastard!"

"Harry don't!" yelled Bethany.

She quickly reached her hands out to keep Harry back, but she was too slow. Harry ran towards Den, who he wasn't far from in the circle of our podiums. As Harry grew real near Den, Den simply smiled and quickly moved to the side at last minute, causing Harry to trip and fell to the floor and slide a bit.

"Harry!" cried Grace as she and Bethany ran over to him.

"Too slow there Arrow Boy" commented Den.

As Grace and Bethany helped Harry up, he grew angry again and tried to lunge, but Bethany put both hands on his shoulders to keep him back.

"Calm down Harry!" urged Bethany. "This is over!"

Harry was still quite pissed, but slowly calmed down.

"This isn't over yet!" growled Harry. "We need to know why he killed Bradford and why he was fine with saying it was me, but now is all cool with accepting what he has done."

"This... does require a full explanation" agreed Zoe.

"Please start talking Den" asked Bethany.

"Tell us why someone who bashed on Laurel for not admitting right away, let the trial go on for this long before admitting themselves" demanded Harry.

Everyone turned to Den, who looked like he had no cares in the world.

"I mean, I don't owe you people shit. Also some of you, even now have always annoyed the living fuck out of me. But... I guess I don't really have any time left, so it will give a little more time of being alive and... I do need to get some stuff off my chest, so yeah. I'll tell you everything you wanna know."

"Story time!" chimed in Bat Wing.

Everyone kept their focus on Den as he began to explain everything.

"Believe it or not... I didn't plan to kill Bradford. It was actually his idea."

"What!?" gasped Grace.

"His... idea?" I asked.

"Hang on there ladies, I got more, way much more" smiled Den. "Yesterday Bradford approached me with this idea of his. He and I were gonna fight, with the winner becoming the next killer, and the loser becoming the next victim.

"Just what do you mean here?" demanded Zoe.

"You're full of shit Den!" accused Harry.

Den laughed. "I really don't give a shit who believes what, unlike Bradford... I didn't agree to this just for you guys."

"What did Bradford say to you Den?" I asked. "What did he propose?"

"Please enlighten us?" asked Bethany.

Den laughed again. "Only because you asked so nicely. Where was I? Here is what he told me about. Bradford knew the motive was really affecting all of us and we were on the verge of dying from dehydration. He didn't want anyone to die, so he came to me with this plan of his. He and I would fight in the pool until one of us was dead, when the loser's body would be discovered...everyone else would get water and be safe... for now."

"Interesting" noted Zoe.

"Is... is that what happened?" asked Grace.

"Bradford... proposed that?" I asked as well.

"Damn right he did" answered Den.

"But why you?" asked Bethany. "Why did he feel the need to do this? And why did he ask you to join him?"

"Right!" I cried to myself. "Just why?!"

"Before, I really didn't give a shit about anything he had to say" continued Den. "Until he mentioned it would be a way of redemption."

"Redemption?" I repeated.

"Bradford... was seeking redemption?" asked Harry.

"Fuck yeah" responded Den. "He felt bad for the way he acted before, and thought if he could save everyone from dying of dehydration, it would help him with atonement and all that shit... And he said it would be the same for me..."

"Is that why you agreed to his plan?" asked Bethany.

Den looked away for a bit. "Shit... He was right I needed my own redemption, thought he probably thought it was due to how I been this whole time I been stuck in this shithole... but no, it wasn't that."

"What are you getting?" at demanded Harry.

"Den..." Grace started to say.

Den looked at the floor before turning his eyes back to us. "I killed people before... due to my talent."

Everyone except Zoe gasped in shock.

"You... you killed people before?" asked Grace.

Den nodded. "A family... Parents and two little girls... I was just... fucking around in the woods... and playing with fire...I...I didn't know just how much of a pyro I was... or that they were in the woods at the time."

Den looked down at the floor again, his face full of shame and regret. My heart ached seeing him like this.

"Just how long ago was this?" I asked myself. "How long has Den truly been like this? And was his current personality a way just to suppress the guilt he had been carrying all this time?"

"Is that what you thought of when you agreed to fight Bradford?" asked Zoe.

Den nodded. "I didn't tell him that, just that I agreed to his plan and it could work for some kind of redemption, but that was it. Bradford and I fought in the pool during nighttime, with both of us trying to kill the other, so the motive would end."

It was all starting to make sense, but it was too much for me as I grew anxious and tears started to fall down my face.

"Why'd you wait this long though?" asked Harry. "Why didn't you just confess and spare us from doing the trial or even the investigation?"

Den laughed. "Bradford mentioned that too, well only that if he ended up killing me in the end, that he would confess the next morning and spare everyone from all that as he wasn't looking for a chance to escape here, only to save everyone from dying."

"Bradford" I sadly thought to myself as the tears continued to pour. "Why? Why did you really have to do this? You didn't need redemption. You already changed for the best. We... most of us had accepted that better version of yourself... Bradford!"

"He... He really did that to save us?" asked Grace.

"Either way it could of happened... Bradford sacrificed himself for us." replied Bethany.

"Bradford..." I sobbed quietly as the tears continued to fall down my face.

Grace noticed and came over to hug me. I buried my face in her chest I quietly sobbed.

"Anything else you wanna tell us Den?" asked Zoe.

"What about you Den?" asked an annoyed Harry. "You really weren't thinking about us in the end, just seeing ,if you could actually escape here by deceiving us."

"Enough Harry!" demanded Bethany.

"Whatever man" shrugged Den. "You guys can think what you want, and I don't give a shit in the end. But this whole time, I been freaking out inside about if I should tell you guys I killed Bradford. You guys were annoying and pissed me off a lot, but I don't think I would of let you guys die while I walked out of here."

"Even when I was about to be voted as the killer?" asked Harry.

Den glared at Harry. "Hey Arrow Fuck, you pissed me off the most this whole time and we won't ever know, since Annie over there exposed me first."

I thought about that. Was Den really about to let us vote for the wrong person? Was he struggling with his inner demons? Was he really gonna reveal the truth? I couldn't be sure, but I think I now have some faith in Den.

Den looked over at everyone. "I think that about covers it."

"And I think you're still full of shit!" barked Harry.

"Enough!" growled Bethany.

"Please Harry, you need to calm down!" begged Grace.

"No!" snapped Harry. "This guy has been nothing, but a bastard, the whole time we been here! But now all of a sudden, he is some redeemed hero?! How do we know he is even telling the truth? He could of just simply Bradford in the..!"

"No!" I interrupted as I broke out of Grace's arms. "I remember what else Bradford said to me!"

"What did Bradford say to you?" asked Zoe.

I shuddered as I remembered what else Bradford has told me yesterday. "He told me that I didn't need to worry and that everything was going to be alright. Sort of like how Gordon told me that the two of us would be alive after the third class trial... Bradford knew regardless of the outcome, that we would come out on top."

"But how did he know Den would even agree to his plan?" asked Harry. "We don't know if he talked to Den before or after me... And still, he had no way to be sure that Den would confess had he won the fight. We could of gotten the killer wrong and we all would have been dead, except for Den. The fact that Den didn't kind of proves it!"

"No" I disagreed. "Bradford was determined to save us. It may be something we don't want to think about, but Bradford literally would of gave his life for us."

"He..." Bethany began to say.

"Would of killed himself if Den didn't go along with his plan?" asked Grace.

I shuddered again. "Yes. Time was ticking and Bradford had to act fast, I firmly believe that he had a backup plan, if Den didn't agree with his plan."

"How can you be so sure though?" asked Harry.

I frowned at him. "You need to have more faith Harry. Bradford had faith in himself and in Den."

"What makes you say that?" asked Zoe.

"Why do you think Bradford kept his clothes on, when he fought Den in the pool?"

"I wondered about that myself" added Den. "I knew I had a good chance at winning, so I changed into some trunks."

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Bethany. "Are you suggesting that Bradford didn't change... because he knew Den would of killed him?"

"I... I think that Bradford knew that Den would most likely be the winner, but he still went for it. He would of done what he had to do, but he was scared to simply end his own life, he wanted a chance to live a little bit longer... But he knew it was gonna up to Den in the end."

"He put up a good fight, but in the end... I won" stated Den, who face was now fully full of remorse.

"I don't think I fully understand Den in the end" I thought to myself. "But I know I understand in better now, and that he was trying to get his heart in the right place."

"You saved us" stated Grace. "Both you and Bradford."

"I think you are worthy of your redemption" smiled Bethany.

Zoe looked away from everyone, probably still trying to figure everything out. Harry walked over to Den and stared at him, while Den returned the action. Harry held out his hand.

"I got a lot of thinking and redemption searching to do myself... But thank you Den."

Den stared at Harry a bit longer, before shaking his hand. "Don't mention it Arrow Freak, you better work hard to get these girls out of here, it will just be you guys now."

My heart stopped as I knew what he meant. "No Den! You can't leave us!"

"Oh yes he will!" exclaimed Bat Wing. "I was nice and let you all clear everything up with each other, but I'm so damn bored! And the only thing that will cure my boredom, is Den Fire's execution!"

"No!" cried Grace. "No! No! No!"

"I won't allow this!" growled Bethany.

"Back off Bat!" screamed Harry.

"You can't kill him! Please don't kill Den!" I begged.

"Easy guys!" cut in Den. "Relax will you! This is on me. I killed Bradford and I gotta take what this bat bitch is gonna throw at me."

I started to cry again. "Don't go Den! We need you here with us! Please!"

Den put his hands in his pockets as he smiled. "You'll be fine Annie. You guys made it this far and you can go even further. I believe it."

"Enough heart talk!" yelled Bat Wing. "Time to die Mr. Fire!"

Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling and we all knew what was next. The wall opened up and the chain came out and caught Den's neck. He gave us one last smile as he was pulled into the wall right before it closed. I continued to cry as Bethany and Grace came to comfort me, who were also crying.

"It will be okay Annie" comforted Bethany.

"You don't have to watch hun" said Grace.

"No... I have to" I replied.

The giant monitor came down for us as always, as we prepared ourselves to watch Den's execution. Den appeared to be walking through a dark room. He didn't look scared, only determined. But then out of nowhere, the whole room burst into flames. Den started to sweat, as he quickly and carefully tried to get out of the flames. His clothes got several small burns, but he managed to eventually get out of the fire and came across a door. Den opened it and ran through. Den walked through another dark room, when Bat Wing came out of nowhere and pushed him. Den fell to the ground and ended up sliding into a fireplace.

"Den!" I cried.

Instantly, the fireplace lit up in full flames. Den struggled and screamed in agony as his entire head was covered in flames. He quickly managed to get up out of the fireplace, but his head was still in flames. Den tried to stop, drop, and roll, but Bat Wing appeared again with a giant hose. He blasted water at Den, that shot him across the room. He ended up in some giant, metal thing, but the flames were all gone from his head. Den quickly got up, a bit dazed. He tired to run, but whatever he was in closed on him, trapping him inside. And what was on the wall that came down made me scream.

"Incinerator!" I cried.

"Shit!" screamed Harry.

We heard Den banging on the wall, but it was no use. Bat Wing walked up to the incinerator and snapped his fingers. The whole thing burst into flames, both inside and out. It was agony to hear Den's screams. Bethany and Grace hugged me tight as we listened to Den's screams until they were no more. The fire died on the incinerator and the wall opened up. There inside, was the burnt up body of Den Fire, dead.

As the monitor went away, I continued to cry. Both Bethany and Grace had stopped crying, but struggled to keep it from happening again. Harry punched the wall in anger, while Zoe simply kept to herself, but she still showed signs of emotion. Bat Wing flew back down to us.

"That was hot!" he exclaimed.

"Fuck off Bat Wing!" roared Harry. "Just fuck off!"

"Go away!" cried Grace. "Just leave us alone!"

"Rude as always" sighed Bat Wing. "But no matter, this has been awesome! We are now down to just five students! Keep up the good work my darlings! You still got a lot more coming your way!"

"And just what else is coming our way?"asked Zoe.

"You'll see eventually, but for now...Better stay on your toes!" Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling, leaving us alone finally.

"Are you alright Annie?" Bethany asked as her and Grace released me from their hugs.

I was still crying a little, but not as much. "I... I will be."

"Den... Den really was something in the end" stated Grace.

"I agree" agreed Bethany.

Harry then walked over to us, and he had tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry everyone, I'm so sorry."

"Harry?" questioned Grace.

"Everyone was right back during the trial, I been jealous of Bradford for petty shit... And I let it turn me into such a piece of shit. I'm sorry Grace. I'm sorry Bethany. I'm sorry Annie." Harry wiped the tears in his eyes away.

"Harry" I thought to myself. "Is he finally back to his old self?"

Harry turned away from us. "And I'm sorry Bradford, I'm sorry Den. I can't believe... I let myself act like that."

I quickly walked over to Harry and gave him a big hug, which he was surprised at.

"I'm sorry too, Harry" I apologized. "I know what I said before wasn't the right thing at the time, and I should of known that."

I kept a firm hug on Harry, which he slowly returned. Bethany and Grace came over, and joined the hug, making it a group hug.

"There is only five of us left now" stated Grace. "We can't let their be any wedges between us."

"We'll all work hard and together to escape here" added Bethany. "Most of our friends may be gone, but we are still here. There is still hope."

"I guess I can't afford to waste time moping about how I acted" said Harry. "I just gotta change for the better and do all I can to get us out of here."

"We'll all do what he can" I smiled. "No one else is gonna die."

The four of us kept up our group hug up a bit longer, before disbursing. Zoe finally turned her attention back to us, after getting out of her deep thought.

"You idiots, when will you learn?" She brushed her hair off her shoulders, before turning to leave the courtroom. As she reached the door, she quickly turned back to us. "Although, I do believe the end of this killing game is coming up." She then left the courtroom.

Everyone looked a bit confused at what Zoe had jus said.

"I hope that doesn't mean that she'll be the next one to kill" hoped Grace.

"We won't let that happened" added Harry.

"I don't think that will be necessary" replied Bethany. "I sense that Zoe will also be giving her all, so that we can all escape."

"We have to hope" I commented.

With everything come and gone, the four of us left the courtroom with hope in our hearts.


	55. Chapter 55-Memory Lane

After leaving the courtroom, my friends and I headed for the cafeteria for a big breakfast, as no one had eaten anything all day yet, due of course to everything that happened. Bethany, Harry, Grace, and I walked into the cafeteria and then the kitchen to cook us a big breakfast, even though Grace insisted on cooking everything herself, the rest of us wanted to help her out. We all spend some time cooking a lot of food for ourselves, and then we all brought it out to the cafeteria to eat up. We all sat down at a table with our food to eat up.

"This looks awesome!" exclaimed Harry.

"Indeed" agreed Bethany. "I am just glad we were all able to help Grace out."

"Thanks guys!" thanked Grace. "I would have been just fine doing it all by myself though, I'm used to it."

"Which is why we wanted to help you" I added. "You fed so well the whole time we been here, we can't let you do all the work."

"Let's eat!" exclaimed Harry.

The four of us spent the first few minutes piling down food, as we were all starving. But after that, we then enjoyed several good conversations, it really did help us with keeping our hopes us, something we all really needed to do.

"So guys" Harry began as we continued to pile down food, but also turned out attention to him. "What is our next step?"

"Our next step?" questioned Grace.

Harry nodded. "I mean, I know we're all set on getting out of here, but what can we do now? We looked around this place so many times and have found nothing."

"Calm yourself Harry" cut in Bethany. "Right now, we are just getting our minds back to where we need them at, don't focus on our plan right now, just enjoy the moment."

"Bethany is right" I agreed. "I don't know what our next move is, but we'll do it for sure! But for now, we just need to enjoy this time together."

"Yeah" smiled Harry. "Alright."

"Pathetic."

We all turned to who had said that and saw Zoe walking towards us.

"You people are just as pathetic as ever, I can't believe you all are what is left of the people still standing."

"Hey!" whined Grace. "Can you seriously, just not be cruel for maybe just ten minutes?"

"Zoe" began Bethany. "Surely that last class trial showed you what might happen when you act like this all time."

"You need to chill and relax" added Harry. "It is the five of us against that Bat Wing."

"Zoe" I added. "Can you please join us?"

Zoe just stared at us for a bit, before shrugging and helping herself to some food, she didn't sit with us though.

"I'm glad you're willing to fight along side us" smiled Bethany.

"Don't put words in my mouth" lectured Zoe. "I'm not fighting with any of you."

"Don't lie girl" smiled Grace. "We know you're having a change of heart moment right now."

Zoe just shook her head in annoyance as she finished up her food, while the rest of us talked and ate up the rest of our food. After Zoe was done, she started to leave.

"Wait Zoe!" I called out.

She turned back to face me. "What do you want?"

"What did you mean back at the.."

"Shut up" Zoe cut me off and walked out of the cafeteria.

"Don't worry about it Annie" assured Harry. "We can tell she is really coming around, she wouldn't of stayed near us if she wanted."

"I think Zoe will be a big help in helping us finally get out of here" smiled Bethany.

"You're right" I returned the smile.

We all got up and helped pitched in to do the dishes, which we finished up pretty quickly. The four of us headed out of the cafeteria, where we decided to hang out some more and have some more fun to help us get back to the right place of mind. Therefore, my friends and I spent several hours swimming in the pool, playing in the game room, and just chilling in the lounge. Towards the end of our fun, we all ended up in the courtyard.

"This was fun guys!" exclaimed Grace. "This definitely lifted our spirits!"

"For sure!" agreed Harry.

"I'm glad we all had fun today" I stated. I was just so happy and hopeful.

Bethany just smiled at everyone.

Suddenly the intercoms clicked on. "Attention final five!" shouted Bat Wing. "I have got the biggest surprise for all of you! Come to the basement right fucking now!" The intercoms clicked offed.

"The basement?" asked Grace.

"Just where is that at?" asked Bethany. "I don't think any of us ever found a basement here in this school."

The intercoms clicked back on. "Sorry! The stupid author never mentioned you guys finding a basement way back when you first investigated! Come to the front of the school, by the main entrance!" The intercoms clicked back off.

"I guess we got our answer" commented Harry.

"Yeah" I agreed. "We should go now."

"Why now?" asked Grace. "Why so soon?"

"Bat Wing doesn't care about anything, as long as he gets to see us suffer" growled Bethany.

The four of us slowly left the courtyard and headed for the front of the school. We got there eventually and saw Zoe waiting there with Bat Wing, she looked really impatient.

"Why am I not surprised, that you would make me wait?" commented Zoe.

"Stop it Zoe!" cried Grace.

Bethany put a comforting hand on Grace. "Easy Zoe, none of us are ready for anything Bat Wing has in store for us right now."

Zoe just rolled her eyes as she brushed her hair off her shoulders. "Whatever."

Bat Wing looked over at us. "Alright, the gang is all here!"

"What do you want Bat Wing?" an annoyed Harry asked.

"That is a surprise that you will all find out real soon!"

My anxiety started to kick in, I didn't like this. "Don't tell me... You have another motive for us already?"

Bat Wing just laughed at me. "Not yet my dear Annie! This... This just might honestly be better than any motive you have had so far!" Bat Wing continued to laugh.

That only made me feel worse, Bethany noticed and put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Enough with this" said Bethany. "Why did you summon us here?"

"And where even is the basement?" asked Harry.

"Are you people stupid?" asked Bat Wing. "It is literally right to the side of the main entrance!" Bat Wing pointed to a door that was right to the side of the main entrance.

"How did we miss that?" asked Grace.

"This author is just an amateur" replied Zoe.

"Yeah, yeah" shrugged Bat Wing. "Enough with the fourth wall breaking! Let's go!"

Bat Wing went to the door that apparently, lead to the basement and opened it. A barely lit entrance was awaiting for us behind that door, Bat Wing stepped on what I assumed were stair and started walking down into the basement. My friends and I looked at each other, as well as Zoe, but we all slowly made our way into the basement. One by one, we followed Bat Wing down to the stairs to see what surprise he had in store for us.

We eventually made our way down the basement floor and Bat Wing lead us to what appeared to be a giant refrigerator with several slots to it. This area was also really cold.

"Hey! Why is it so cold down here?!" asked Grace, who had started to shiver.

"Didn't we already do this piece of shit motive?" asked Harry who was also shivering.

Bat Wing just laughed.

I focused real hard on the slots of the giant refrigerator and noticed that each of them had a next to them that was red, with the exception of some of them that were green. That certainly was odd, until I realized what was going on. Thirteen of slots had green lights only, while the rest were red. And the number of people that had died so far was... thirteen!"

"What is the meaning of this Bat Wing?" growled Bethany.

"Get to it already" demanded Zoe.

"Bodies" I answered.

Everyone turned to look at me.

"Bodies?" asked Grace.

"I see" Zoe realized what was about to happen.

"He's... Bat Wing is gonna show us the dead bodies... of our friends" I had started to tear up.

"What the hell!?" exclaimed Harry.

"No.. No way!" cried Grace.

"What is the meaning of this!?" roared Bethany, who was now full on glaring at Bat Wing.

Bat Wing just laughed some more. "You got it Annie! We're gonna take a trip down memory lane! Each slot has a red light, indicating it is vacant. However, when there is no vacancy, the light is green!" And just how many green lights do you see?"

"Thirteen" answered Zoe.

"You got it! And how many students have died?!"

"Thirteen" growled Bethany.

Bat Wing continued to laugh. "You got it! This is gonna be so much fun! Oh, the despair will be great! Being forced to see all your former friends dead, once again!"

"Says who!?" cried Grace. "I'm not doing this! Let's get out of here guys!" 

"Stay right fucking there!" Bat Wing raised his voice. "Anyone who leaves without my permission, will be killed right here and will then join your fallen friends in a slot! Got it!?"

Nobody said anything, just stared at Bat Wing, he then smiled at us as he walked over to the slots with green lights on.

"Time to get started folks! Also, just in case you were wondering, all of these bodies'... privates... are covered up!"

Everyone look disgusted at the fact he even brought it up.

"Okay everyone! First up on our list is Shauna Zachary, the former ultimate chess champion!"

Bat Wing pulled open the first slot and out came Shauna's body. Her body looked a lot better from before, when it was all bloody in the game room. However, her forehead now had scars from when Troy bashed her head on the pool table, as well as that bruise from the eight ball.

"Shauna..." said Grace.

"An unkind fate she ended up meeting" replied Bethany.

Bat Wing laughed as he closed the slot and moved to the next one. "Next up! Troy Kind, the former ultimate signer!"

Bat Wing pulled open the next slot and out came Troy's body. His body was a little more hard to look at, considering he was missing most of his fingers from those blades.

"Troy" I sadly said as tears continued to fall down my face.

"He was a good guy" added Harry. "He just... you know."

"He was the first of us to crack under the pressure of this killing game" replied Zoe.

"Stop it Zoe!" cried Grace. "I just hope... we can help his brother after we get out of here."

"Right!" I thought to myself. "Troy was really close to his brother Oliver!"

Bat Wing closed the slot and moved to the next one. "Third up on our list is Dianna Foxworth, the former ultimate volleyball player!"

Bat Wing pulled open the slot and out came Dianna's body, which had many scars, bruises, and bumps from the bleachers collapsing on her.

Bethany balled up her fist and tried to maintain her composure. "Dianna..."

Grace put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Bethany, I know you too were good friends."

"Indeed... we were."

"Yeah" agreed Harry. "You both had a lot in common, including being role models for female athletes."

Bethany managed to smile, appearing to find comfort in her former friendship with Dianna.

"Boring!" shouted Bat Wing. He closed the slot and moved to the next one. "Barry Wolf, the former ultimate engineer!" He opened up the slot and out came Barry's body.

"Fuck!" Harry fell back in shock and horror.

Barry's body was a very dark color, due to being electrocuted to death.

"Poor Barry" I continued to cry. "He... He was starting to come around to us! He was our friend!"

"Again, simply falling under the pressure of Bat Wing's motives and the killing game in general" replied Zoe.

"They always do!" responded Bat Wing as he closed the slot and moved to the next one. "Coming up at number five, we have Mara Ford, the former ultimate entrepreneur!" He opened the slot and we saw Mara's body.

Her body wasn't in such as bad shape as others, due to her cause of death being strangulation. However, there was a small scar on her forehead, from when Gordon bashed her head on the bookshelf.

"Oh God!" I thought to myself as I realized who was next.

Zoe seemed quite focused on Mara's body. "Mara Ford, what a shame."

"Were... were you guys friends?" asked Grace.

Zoe gave us a small laugh. "Friends? Of course not, don't be stupid. Mara... she was just someone who wasn't as stupid as the rest of you fools and might of even been a bit on my level."

"I guess that is the nicest way you'll put that you had respect for her" Harry replied as he finally got up from the floor.

The tears continued to fall down my face as I realized what was next for me. Bat Wing saw how I was and quickly closed the slot and moved to the next one.

"Oh this is gonna have so much despair! I now present to you... Gordon Jackson! The former ultimate filmmaker!" Bat Wing opened the slot and there it was.

I only caught a brief glimpse of Gordon's body before I fell to the ground in tears, but it was long enough for the sight to forever stay stuck in my mind. Gordon's head had was full of scars, bruises, and bumps from all those stage lights that fell on his head. I sat on the ground sobbing until both Bethany and Grace pulled me up and turned me away from Gordon's body, they then wrapped me in a huge hug.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that Annie" comforted Bethany. "Gordon was real lucky to spend time with you.

"He truly was a great guy." assured Grace. She then turned to Bat Wing. "You're so sick!"

Bat Wing laughed. "I know you are, but what am I?"

"Not mature" replied Harry as he walked over towards me to make sure I was alright.

Bat Wing laughed again and closed the slot. "Six bodies down, seven to go. This is fun!" Bat Wing moved to the next slot. "With the biggest body in the basement, we got Seth Brockman, the former ultimate eater!" Bat Wing opened the slot.

Seth's body was then exposed to us. I managed to stop sobbing so hard and I broke the hug with Grace and Bethany. I then turned to see Seth's body. Nothing scarring and murder/execution reminding about his body, since he was only poisoned. That didn't help overall as his body was still there exposed to us.

"So...So many of our friends" Bethany remarked.

"Since when was anyone friends with that glut?" asked Zoe.

"Could you be anymore insensitive?!" asked Grace. "Seth was still one of us!"

"Not anymore though!" laughed Bat Wing as he closed the slot and moved to the next one. "Give it up for Clay Adamson, the former ultimate trivia master!" Bat Wing opened the slot.

Clay's head had several small scars on it, from when Leah smashed the glass vase on his head, as well as a huge scar across his throat from when she slashed him there.

Harry balled his fists and closed his eyes in anger.

"I'm sorry Harry" I comforted. "I know Clay was a good friend of yours."

"As well as ours'" assured Grace. "He would be glad to see you're still alive Harry."

Harry opened up his eyes and smiled at us. "Thanks guys."

"Boring again!" yelled Bat Wing as he closed the slot and moved to the next one. "We are now on Leah Daniels, the former ultimate rider!"

Bat Wing opened up the slot and Leah's body was shown to us. Grace and I let out screams in terror as Leah's body was quite horrifying to look at. Due to being bitten by those horses during her execution, Leah's body was pretty much covered in scars that were once bite marks.

"Leah was strong minded, but was overcome too much with fear and panic" said Bethany sadly.

"She would have been a big help to us, when we finally got out of here." added Harry.

Bat Wing closed the slot and moved on to the next one. "Everyone's favorite former pervert! Maxwell Krueger, the former ultimate fisher!"

Bat Wing opened the slot and we saw Maxwell's body. His was full of many fork styled scars from when Laurel had stabbed him to death with a fork.

"Fucking bastard!" yelled Harry, who looked really mad.

"Easy Harry!" demanded Bethany. "Maxwell's sins didn't go unpunished, wherever he ended up in. But please, don't lose your cool over what he did."

Even though it was hard looking at Maxwell's body, I couldn't feel too bad for him, due to what he did to Laurel.

"Oh no!" I cried to myself as I realized who was next.

Bat Wing closed the slot and moved to the next one. "Only a few more left now! But now we got, Laurel Stern, the former ultimate radio personality!"

Bat Wing opened the slot and everyone, minus Zoe either screamed or gasped in panic.

Laurel's body had no head, due to the sound waves blowing it up during her execution.

"Poor Laurel" I started to cry again.

Grace was crying too. "She didn't deserve anything that happened to her!"

"It is unfortunate what can happen to a person" mentioned Zoe.

Bat Wing closed the slot and moved to the next one. "And now onto our two newest additions! You only just saw him recently, Bradford Evans, the former ultimate track and field star!"

Bat Wing opened the slot and there Bradford was. Since he was just drowned, his body looked somewhat peaceful.

Harry balled up his fist again. "I'm sorry man, I should of accepted who you were."

"Do not be so hard on yourself still, Harry" assured Bethany. "Bradford would be happy to hear how you feel now and how strong you're being."

"He truly... was a great guy, who changed for the better" I cried lightly.

"You saved us Bradford" I thought you myself. "You saved us, alongside Den."

"One more to go folks!" Bat Wing stated as he closed the slot and moved to the final slot with a green light. "He may have been prick for most of the ride, but he went out a hero at his destination! You're hero, Den Fire, the former ultimate pyro!"

Bat Wing opened the slot and there Den's body was. His body was a really dark color, due to being burned to death in his execution.

"It may have been hard to believe, but Den really did die a hero" said Grace.

"He... He is one in my book" I added.

Bat Wing closed the slot and turned to us. "Now wasn't that just so much fun everybody!"

"Very much" replied Zoe, very sarcastically.

Bethany grew angry. "You're nothing but a sick, twisted fiend Bat Wing. When we get out of here, you're gonna pay for everything that you done!"

"And more!" growled Harry.

Bat Wing just laughed. "Okay! Yeah, sure! Well whatever now, you kids are free to go! Can't wait for the next murder!" Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling, leaving the five of us alone.

"We should get out of here now" suggest Grace.

"I definitely agree with you" agreed Harry.

The five of us quickly went back up the stairs and gathered in the main entrance.

"Please stay strong everyone" pleaded Bethany. "That bat was only trying to break us and bring despair to us."

"But it didn't work!" assured Grace. "We're still shooting to get out of here!"

"Hell yeah!" pumped in Harry. "Bat Wing is going down!"

I smiled at my friends. "We can do this."

Zoe shook her head as she brushed her hair off her shoulders. "Idiotic and naive as ever, but..." Zoe took a bit of a long pause. "You guys don't need to worry about anything, I'll be the one to get us all out of here."

Before anyone could respond to Zoe's words, she simply walked off, leaving us all a little surprised.

"Just what does she mean?" asked Grace. "Zoe seems a little more confident in herself than normally."

"I have no idea" responded Harry. "But as long as she is with us, we can't complain."

"Agreed" agreed Bethany. "The five of us will get out of here, fighting as one."

I smiled at my friends with hope in my eyes. "We're going to do this!" I thought to myself. "We're going to get out of here and put an end to this horrible killing game!"


	56. Chapter 56-WHAT!

After our disturbing field trip to the basement and our unpleasant trip down memory lane, my friends and I decided to take the rest of the day to relax, before getting back to business with trying to escape Future Hope Academy. We all pitched in to help Grace make us a nice lunch and dinner, and then had many wonderful conversations, while eating the wonderful food. We also enjoyed doing several more group activities, before deciding to call it a night and heading back to our rooms to sleep.

For the rest of the day though, no one saw Zoe, not that that was really a surprise. However, her slight different, recent behavior and words on how this whole thing was gonna be over soon did kind of stick to me the rest of the day.

"Just what do you mean Zoe?" I asked myself. "What are you up to?"

After doing my usual nighttime routine, I just lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, while lost in deep thought.

"Harry, Bethany, Grace, and I really had fun today, even with the whole basement trip" I thought to myself. "Zoe also is slightly showing signs of being, somewhat nice. However, what exactly is she up to? And there are still, so many mysteries of this school that we have yet to get any answers for."

I then slowly started thinking about all the good friends we had lost and how we saw all that remained of them.

"Den... Laurel... Bradford... Gordon" I sadly thought to myself as tears rolled down my face.

I wiped my tears away and turned my sadness into hope.

"We'll get out of here!" I thought to myself with determination. "We'll get out of here and bring whoever has been running this awful game to justice! All of my friends who died so far, their memories won't be in vain!"

With determination flowing through my body, I peacefully went to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up early and did my usual morning routine. I then left out of my room and headed down to the cafeteria for breakfast. Grace was already there, bright and early, preparing breakfast for us. She smiled at me as I walked in.

"Good morning Annie!"

I smiled back. "Good Morning Grace."

I helped Grace finish breakfast and then we brought it out to eat, Harry and Bethany came not long after.

"Morning guys!" greeted Harry

"Good morning Harry!" I returned the greeting.

"This looks wonderful" complimented Bethany.

"Thanks!" thanked Grace. "Annie helped me out a lot too!"

"Well let's not waste anytime here, let's eat!" urged Harry.

Bethany, Harry, Grace and I sat down and enjoyed a nice breakfast, full of wonderful conversations. There was still no sign of Zoe. After we finished eating and talking, we all pitched in to help do the dishes. After that, the four of us headed out into the hallway, when the intercoms clicked on.

"Attention students!" shouted Bat Wing. "Everyone get to the main entrance! Now!" The intercoms clicked off.

A disturbing and unnerving silence fell upon us as we all glanced at each other.

"What could it be now?" asked Grace.

"That damn bat!" growled Harry. "We can't ever really relax?!"

"I am not surprised" replied Bethany. "Things must have been too happy for him."

"I don't like this guys" said Grace.

"Me either" I agreed.

"Stay strong Annie and Grace" replied Bethany. "We need to be strong, the five of us can take anything Bat Wing throws at us, as long as we all stand strong."

"Yeah!" agreed Harry. "I bet Zoe is already there, waiting for us to all put Bat Wing in his place!"

"Right" Grace slowly smiled.

I found courage inside myself. "Let's go guys!"

The four of us headed to the main entrance, with hope, courage, and determination in all our our souls. However, little did we know that when we would reach the main entrance, only despair would be there. As we reached the main entrance, we saw Bat Wing there, waiting for us. And someone was lying down next to him. And that someone was...

"Zoe!" I cried out loud.

The ultimate fashion designer, Zoe Strong, or what I should say is her body lay on the floor, right next to Bat Wing. Her chest and throat had several slash marks on it, showing red.

We all ran towards Bat Wing and Zoe's body.

"Zoe!" exclaimed Harry.

"What happen!?" roared Bethany.

"No! No! I can't take this!" cried Grace as tears began to fall down her face.

My anxiety was through the roof again as I looked at my three friends. "Who did it?" I thought to myself. Which one of them killed Zoe?"

Bat Wing laughed as we all started to panic. "Oh man! This is even better than the basement yesterday!"

"Shut the fuck up!" roared Harry.

"How can this be?!" I thought to myself over and over again.

Grace continued to sob, as Bethany just looked speechless. Harry looked like he was ready to punch something.

"Oh man!, what despair!" laughed Bat Wing. He then got serious. "But listen here students, this time the class trial is gonna be a little different."

"Little different?" questioned Grace. "How so?"

"Well as always, I'm gonna give you guys two hours to investigate. And of course at the class trial, if you vote wrong, then everyone besides the killer will die."

"Get to the point!" demanded Harry.

"Do not tease us" growled Bethany.

"Man, you kids are so super disrespectful to your elders" frowned Bat Wing. "But anyway, if you vote for the correct person as the killer, they'll die of course. However, the survivors will then be allowed to leave Future Hope Academy."

All four of us gasped in shock.

"What!?" cried Grace.

"Are you serious?!" demanded Harry.

"How can we trust you?" asked Bethany.

Bat Wing laughed again. "Settle down children! Honestly, even after our little field trip to the basement yesterday, this game has gotten too boring for me! Even with someone killing our dear Zoe, it is still boring! And having four people doing a trial is just lame! I'm ready for this to all end, so anyone still standing after this last class trial will be allowed to leave!"

My anxiety was sky high, just what was going on here?

"This is...This is..." Bethany tried to say.

Bat Wing continued to laugh at us. "I think you guys should get the deal by now, unless you're all really damn stupid."

"Fuck off!" yelled Harry.

"But..." I began with. "You're telling the truth? If we identify Zoe's killer, you'll let us go?"

"You got it!" laughed Bat Wing. "I'll even watch over her body, so all four of you can investigate. This time, you'll really need all the help you can get!"

This was all too much for me and it was happening so fast. Even though I understood everything, I couldn't help but shake in confusion. My three friends and I looked at each other for a few moments.

Harry then got really angry. "Why did one of you have to kill Zoe?! Why?! We were all suppose to escape from this fuckhole together!"

Grace then got really angry and turned to Harry. "Don't put all the blame on us! You could easily be the killer!"

"The Fuck I..

"STOP!" demanded Bethany, who was also getting really angry.

Harry, Grace, and I turned to look at Bethany, the former two still looking really angry.

"Stop fighting each other!" She growled. "I know this is all so sudden, but if Bat Wing is telling the truth, we can finally escape from this prison!"

"Bethany..." I tried to say..

"Don't think you're in charge Bethany!" interrupted Harry. "You just might be the killer as well!"

The accusation made Bethany even more angry. "Watch who you're accusing!"

"We're all suspcious here!" added in Grace. "All four of us have the chance of being the killer!"

"Guys please!" I pleaded.

"Shit! This is just fucking shit!" yelled Harry. "I just... I can't act like we're all good friends here! One of you killed Zoe!"

"Stop putting everything on us!" shot back Grace. "You're only making yourself look more suspicious!"

"Enough! Cease this at once!" ordered Bethany.

"Oh man, this is great!" laughed Bat Wing.

"Stop trying to take control Bethany!" shot back Grace. "You're not in charge here!"

"Grace... What are you?!" asked Bethany.

"I'm not listening to any of you!" shouted Harry. "Not now, not when we're so close to getting out of here!"

Bethany seemed to struggle with controlling her anger, before exploding. "Fine! I can figure this out myself! I'll reveal which on of you killed Zoe and escape from this place!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How could Grace, Harry, and Bethany be acting like this?

Bat Wing continued laughing. "You guys got your final file and your two hours start now, so get to it!"

Harry pulled out his phone and quickly looked at it, before turned his angry glare back on the rest of us. "I'm out of here!" Harry quickly ran off.

"Harry!" I called after him.

"Whatever!" replied Grace. "I'm gonna solve this case all by myself!" Grace then ran off as well.

"Grace!" I cried.

"Do not waste your breath on them, Annie" instructed Bethany as she pulled out her phone to look at the file. "One of them is most likely the killer, though of course, you are also a possibility as well."

"What...Bethany!?" I cried.

"Be quiet and start investigating." Bethany ran off.

I watched Bethany run off and started sobbing. I just couldn't believe everything that just happened and how the others were reacting.

Bat Wing laughed at me. "Wow! That is just harsh! But you can't really blame them too much! Only four of you remain and one of you is the killer!"

I ignored Bat Wing as I continued to sob for a little bit, and being lost in my anxiety. After a few minutes, I wiped away my tears and pulled my phone out to check the final file.

The file was real short and useless. All it said was Zoe's cause of death was due to slashes on her stomach. There was no time of death or anything else.

"What kind of file is this?" I asked myself.

I turned to Bat Wing. "This file isn't helpful at all, I can tell how Zoe died by just looking at her body. When did she die?"

Bat Wing laughed. "Figure it out yourself!"

I glared at Bat Wing, before turning my attention to Zoe's body, just for one last look at it. Unfortunately, there was still nothing there that would help us identify the killer. I sighed and turned my attention back to Bat Wing, I just had so many weird feelings right now, both about this murder and Bat Wing himself.

"Bat Wing is definitely hiding something from us" I thought to myself.

I pondered the situation a bit more, before leaving the crime scene to investigate elsewhere. I ended up at the library to investigate, since Zoe spent most of her time there. I headed in to investigate and ran into Harry there.

"Harry...Hi.." I greeted.

Harry seemed uninterested in talking to me, but returned the greeting. "Hey Annie."

It was suddenly awkward to be around Harry again. "Have you...Did you find anything here in the library?"

"No, nothing here."

"Oh, okay..."

It was awkward silence for the next few seconds.

"Look Harry..." I tried to say.

"Stop it Annie, just stop talking" interrupted Harry.

I was shocked at Harry's words.

"This whole thing is a major shitstorm Annie" continued Harry. "But the truth is, one of us killed Zoe and whoever did that will have to die, so the rest of us can finally get out of here."

I just got more shocked at what Harry was saying, I couldn't believe it.

Harry turned away from me. "I can't cross you off as a suspect yet Annie, but out of the three of you, I do feel that the killer is more likely to be Bethany or Grace, unless evidence says otherwise, so while I can't really believe in you, you aren't my main focus and I do hope it stays that way during the trial.

"Harry!..." I tried to say again.

"Don't waste time trying to get us to be a team here Annie, we can't be that close with only four of us left and one of us being a killer, so just go investigate elsewhere, the library has nothing here." Harry then ran past me out of the library, leaving me to feel shit and almost starting to cry again.

"They all fallen into despair" I thought to myself. "Bethany, Grace, and Harry...They all fallen into despair and only trust themselves right now."

After getting over my shock, I continued my investigation in the library for a while, even though I still had hope and believed in all of my friends, Harry could be the killer and lied about the library having no evidence, so I had to search. But it did seem like he was telling the truth, as I found no evidence in the library. I left the library a bit down, knowing I had wasted time and found nothing, but a little relieved to know that Harry was most likely not lying, and therefore was most likely not the killer.

My investigation then took me to the game room, where we had our first murder take place. Grace was in there investigating. I walked in and greeted her.

"Hey Grace!"

Grace was scared by my greeting and jumped around to face me, looking scared, but then her expression turned to annoyance. "Don't do that Annie!"

"Sorry..." I legit felt bad if I actually scared her, but it hurt knowing she would get so annoyed at an accident like that.

"What do you want Annie?" Grace asked crossing her arms.

I was once again shocked at how my friend was talking to me. "Grace...What?..."

"Speak up or shut up, we can't afford to waste time now."

I was even closer to sobbing again. "I'm just here...to invest..."

"Don't bother, I already checked all over the game room." Grace turned away from you. "Go somewhere else."

"Grace..."

Grace turned back to me annoyed. "Look Annie, I don't wanna be harsh, but this is life and death right here, and it is way bigger than any of the other trials. Once we vote for the correct killer, the remaining three can leave."

"She's acting just like how Harry was!" I thought to myself. "Despair!"

"Of course, right now either yourself, Bethany, or Harry can be the killer, but I do believe it won't be you as opposed to Bethany and Harry. And I really hope it isn't you Annie, I like to walk out of this school with you, but whoever killed Zoe has to own up to what they did."

Grace uncrossed her arms and ran out of the game room, leaving me to sob a bit.

"I can't do this alone!" I cried to myself. "I need all of them to have hope, so we can end this killing game once and for all!"After sobbing a bit, I checked out the game room for clues, as I couldn't just believe Grace's words, but they appeared true. Finding nothing, I ran out of the game room to continue investigating with the time I had left.

I next ended up by the dorm rooms. I saw Bethany walking out of Zoe's room.

"Bethany!" I called to her.

Bethany turned to look at me, no emotion showed in her eyes. "Have you been investigating Annie?"

Even with everything that has happened since discovering Zoe's body, Bethany's lack of greeting both shocked and hurt me. "Yes...I have."

"Well keep at it." Bethany turned around and started to walk away.

"Wait Bethany!"

Bethany turned around, looking quite annoyed. "What is it Annie? We don't have much time left."

I started to cry again. "Why are you guys acting like this? Why are...Why are you guys falling to despair!?"

Bethany got a little angry. "Shut your mouth girl! Don't you realize the situation we're in now?! This is it! This is our chance to finally escape from this hellhole! That is all that matters!"

"But..."

"Shut up!" Bethany looked really enraged now. "Just shut up and get back to investigating. Don't bother with the dorm rooms, I already checked them out. Also, I still think out of my three suspects, you are the least likely to be the killer, but you never know." Bethany turned around again and walked away from me.

I sobbed for a bit more, but then I finally got it together and quickly investigated all of the dorm rooms as fast as I could. Like Harry and Grace, Bethany could be the killer, so I couldn't believe her words, I had to make sure myself there wasn't any clues hidden in any of the dorm rooms. But for the third time, what I was told appeared legit, as I found nothing of suspicion in anyone's rooms.

I sat against the wall in the hallway to really think, while I could. I knew I only had minutes left, but I still had to keep going while I could. My thoughts turned to those two "clues" that Bat Wing had showed us. Those newspaper headlines and what appeared to be a class photo of all of us. We never truly discovered the meaning of those clues, and most people seemed to brush them off as fake. But for some reason, I felt now they would be most relevant, I knew I would bring them up in the trial, and hopefully we would work together to discover their meanings.

"Attention final four!" I hadn't heard the intercoms click on as I was so deep in thought.

"Your last investigation ends now!" shouted Bat Wing. "Time to get this show on the road! Get your asses to the courtroom! Now!" The intercoms clicked off.

I immediately got up and headed for the courtroom. I was ready to finish this and hopefully by the end, there would be only hope and no despair.

I was the last to arrive to the courtroom. Bat Wing was waiting there with Harry, Grace, and Bethany. All three weren't looking at each other and didn't seem to notice my entrance.

"Awesome! The gang is all here!" exclaimed Bat Wing. "I hope you guys are ready for this!"

"We are!" I stated determinedly.

Bat Wing just laughed at me. "But will that be enough to discover the identity of Zoe's killer? We shall see! Everyone, get in the courtroom!"

Bat Wing immediately opened the door and flew in. One by one, the rest of us followed.

"We can do this!" I thought to myself. "We will end this soon!"

However, the dark truth hit me right away, even though I already knew it.

"But who killed Zoe?" I asked myself. "Bethany? Harry? Grace? Which one of them did it? Why did they do?"

I came close to sobbing again. If we solve this murder, only two of my friends and myself will get to walk out of this school finally. Whoever killed Zoe, whoever betrayed our trust, will have be executed by Bat Wing.


	57. Chapter 57-The Final Trial

Bat Wing flew to his chair, as my remaining friends and I took our usual places at our podiums for the last time. Joining the circle of despair were portraits of Den and Zoe, I shuddered in fear and anxiety after seeing them and realizing that what was which eighteen, was now only a mere four.

"But no more!" I thought to myself as I tried to find determination. "We will do this!...But then... Someone else will have to die..."

I tried to keep my hope alive, but I had both that and despair with me at the moment. However, only the latter appeared to be with Bethany, Harry, and Grace. None of them were looking at each other or me. It was just awful.

"Okay people!" exclaimed Bat Wing. "Time to go over the rule of the class trial one last time! You will discuss who you think the killer is and vote once you reached a decision. If that decision is right, the killer will be executed and instead of the usual continuing of the killing game, the three survivors will finally be allowed to leave this school. But of course, if you vote incorrectly, everyone else besides the killer dies, while the killer will be the only one walking out of here alive."

"Keep hope alive!" I told myself.

"With all that out of the way, get to it people!" laughed Bat Wing.

Brushing off any fear and anxiety, I stood strong. "Alright guys, I know this was all so sudden, but we need to work together..."

"Enough Annie" interrupted Bethany.

"Huh?" I responded."

"Just stop it Annie" added Grace. "Teamwork may of helped in all of the previous trials..."

"But it doesn't matter here" cut in Harry. "The stakes are too high to give everyone the benefit of the doubt."

"Especially when one of you is the killer" added Bethany.

I just couldn't believe this. "But..."

"Shut up Annie!" growled Harry. "I'm getting sick of all your teamwork talk attitude!"

"Just say anything that can help determine the killer" added Grace. "Otherwise, you're just in my way."

I looked down at the floor as small tears started to form in my eyes.

"Now that that talk is done, somebody say something that proves who the killer is" demanded Bethany.

"Well, what do you have to offer Bethany?" demanded Harry.

Bethany just glared at him for a bit, before admitting "I don't know, I was unable to find any evidence during the investigation."

Harry laughed. "Guess you should investigated more as opposed to guarding the bodies! Just how useless can you be?"

I gasped. "Harry!"

Bethany glared even harder at Harry. "You better watch the way you speak to me!"

"Or what?" shot back Harry. "Or perhaps you didn't find anything because you're the killer!"

"Stop!" I cried.

Bethany looked like she was about to pummel Harry to a pulp, but she just continued to glare at him for a bit.

"Are you two done wasting time yet?" asked Grace. "Or do either of you actually have any evidence the points us towards the killer?"

"This isn't all on me Grace!" replied Harry. "Why don't you present some evidence?!"

Now Grace was glaring at Harry.

"Don't have anything either do you?"

Grace just shook her head.

"How about you cut the bullshit Harry?!" growled Bethany. "Unless you have anything for us?"

Harry started to glare as well, but didn't say anything.

"Didn't think so" smugly replied Grace.

"Well this is just perfect" growled Grace. "Nobody found any evidence!"

"What about you Annie?" asked Harry. "Did you find anything at all?"

All three of them turned to me with despair in their eyes, my anxiety grew. I struggled to speak for a bit. "I...I...I..."

"Speak up!" yelled Grace.

"I didn't find any clues either!"

"Well isn't this just fucking perfect!" growled Harry.

"We got nothing!" replied Bethany.

Bat Wing started laughing at us. "Oh man! This is just great! You guys are totally at a lost and you have no idea who the killer is!"

"Bat Wing is right!" I thought to myself. "If no of us found any clues...Then how are we gonna find out who the killer is!?"

"What now!?" demanded Grace.

"Don't ask me!" replied Harry. "It isn't my job to lead you fools!"

"I just about had it with you Harry!" yelled Bethany. She got ready to punch Harry.

"Stop it Bethany!" I cried.

My yell surprised Bethany enough, that she stopped her punch. She simply shrugged her shoulders and turned away, Harry did the same.

"My God, you people are so hopeless" complained Grace.

"I don't see you doing anything useful" shot back Bethany.

"Guys Please!" I interjected. "We need to focus on the trial instead of yelling at each other! We won't get anywhere at this rate!"

My friends just stared at each other in silence for a bit.

"Very well" replied Annie. "Do you have anything to offer?"

"Did you find any clues during the investigation?" asked Harry.

I smiled slightly, even though they were still in despair, at least they had stopped arguing. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find anything during the investigation either."

"Well great!" complained Grace.

"However, I still have some things we can talk about."

"Like what?" asked Bethany.

I got mentally prepared to start the real discussions. "First off, we should talk about the discovery of Zoe's body."

"What about it?" demanded Grace.

"I turned my attention towards Bat Wing. "I still find it strange that normally one of us has to discover a body before Bat Wing calls the rest over to it to start the investigation, but this time, he didn't wait."

Bat Wing laughed again. "You're thinking too hard on the wrong path there sweetie, I just wanted to get this show started as soon as possible is all! Me changing the rules a bit isn't gonna get you anywhere!"

"For once, I agree with the bat" agreed Bethany. "This isn't getting us anywhere."

My anxiety started to go up a little, but I keep it under control. "I may not be able to prove it, but Bat Wing is up to something, but moving on now... We need to talk about Zoe's body."

"What about the bitch's body?" asked Harry.

Ignoring Harry, I continued. "We need to discuss what could of caused the injuries that killed her."

"It was a knife!" exclaimed Bethany.

I shook my head. "We don't know that for sure."

"Well what did that stupid file say!?" demanded Grace.

"The file didn't list any kind of murder weapon, but that is another point of mine."

"What is?!" asked Harry.

"The file, it didn't say much at all, just the injury that killed Zoe. There wasn't anything that can tell us what caused her injuries or even a time of death."

"That is true" agreed Bethany who then turned to Bat Wing. "What kind of file is that Bat!?"

Bat Wing simply laughed at her. "Like I been saying, this is the last trial! Do you think it will be anything like the past six trials?! No! This one is for all the marbles! No hints!"

"Well aren't you the worst fucking...whatever the fuck you are!" growled Harry.

Bat Wing nearly fell off his chair in laughter. "Say whatever you want kid! But the fact remains, you're all so close, yet so far in terms of getting out of here! Ahahahahahaha!"

"I'm going to destroy you!" yelled Bethany.

"Bethany!" I cried out. "Please calm down!"

"You better!" laughed Bethany. "Touch me and you're dead!"

Bethany glared at Bat Wing, but settled down for now.

"Can we get back to what actually matters?!" half asked, half demanded Grace.

"Right" I replied.

However, I struggled with what I presented. "Just what is Bat Wing's game here with him calling us over to the body before any of us discovered it, and what caused Zoe's injuries?"

"This is such bullshit!" complained Harry.

"Quit you're bitching" ordered Grace. "You're not helping by bitching."

"Both of you shut the hell up!" hissed Bethany.

My anxiety started to hurt, due to all the despair they were giving off.

"I gotta keep trying to bring back hope to them!" I cried to myself.

"Let us keep discussing the murder!" I stated.

My friends turned to look at me.

Still feeling anxious, I continued. "As we already stated, none of us were able to find any evidence that helps with finding out the killer."

"Yeah, so what?" asked Grace.

"Well...I just feel...I just feel that it is pretty strange how not one person here was able to discover a single piece of evidence?"

"Of course it is fucking strange!" yelled Harry. "But where does that get us!?"

"Nowhere!" answered Grace.

"Who did it!?" demanded Bethany. "Who killed Zoe!?"

"We aren't getting anywhere!" I cried to myself. "This just isn't working! They're too full of despair!"

"You killed her Bethany!" exclaimed Harry. "I know it was you!"

"Don't fucking accuse me like that!" responded Bethany. "I bet it was Grace!"

"You're both wrong! It was Harry!" cried Grace.

Harry, Bethany, and Grace continued to accuse each other, without any facts, while Bat Wing nearly fell out of his chair, due to laughing so hard. As for me, I couldn't take it anymore. I fell to my knees, sobbing my eyes out. No one even noticed me, they were too caught up in their despair.

"This is it!" I cried to myself. "This is how it ends! We're not gonna find out who killed Zoe! We're not gonna get out of this school! Only the killer will, and they will be full of despair! Everyone who already died has died for nothing! Gordon! Gordon! I need you to make me feel better! Please!"

I sat there on my knees, still at my podium, while sobbing with everyone screaming and laughing around me. The room had no hope, only despair.

"Is this despair?" I asked myself. "Am I feeling despair? I can sense it from everyone else, but am I starting to feel it too? Am I full of despair?"

I sat there for a few moments, accepting despair if it was starting to take me over, until I felt something. Something that reminded me of Gordon's comfort. For a moment, I thought Gordon was right there with me, so I looked up. Of course he wasn't there, but the feeling was.

"Could this be?!" I asked myself. "Could this be Gordon trying to tell me not to give up hope and to keep up fighting?"

I wanted to think about it more, but I knew there wasn't time. The class trial was still going on and I needed to help my friends. With courage and hope starting to quickly soar through me, I got back up on my feet.

"HEY!" I shouted.

My friends and Bat Wing all turned to me.

"All of you need to shut up and listen!"

"Just what are..." Grace tried to say.

"Shut up!" I interrupted.

"Well look who finally grew a pair" complained Bat Wing, who seemed disappointed that all of the yelling had stopped.

"You shut up too!"

"Is that how you speak to your principal?!"

"Shut up! Shut the hell up!"

Bat Wing didn't have a comeback, while my three friends continued to look at me.

"What is it Annie?" asked Bethany.

"Spit it out" ordered Harry.

Seeing as my friends had at least stopped trying to tear each other apart, I continued firmly.

"Listen to me all of you. You need to stop fighting each other and start fighting despair, for hope, and to survive this class trial."

"What?" asked Grace.

"You heard me, I'm serious. What you're all doing now, what you been doing isn't doing anything good, just the opposite. We won't get anywhere if you three let despair overcome you and turn you into what Bat Wing wants you to be.

Bethany, Harry, and Grace just stood there thinking for a bit. They all seemed quite conflicted, but I think my words were starting to come through to them.

I smiled. "Please guys. You need to keep hope alive. I need you to keep hope alive. Zoe and all our other friends need you to keep hope alive."

"Our... Our other friends?" asked Harry.

"That's right, Shauna, Troy, Dianna, Barry, Mara, Gordon, Seth, Clay, Leah, Maxwell, Laurel, Bradford, Den, and Zoe. All our friends who fell victim to this cruel killing game, they need us to keep hope alive, so we can survive this and keep their memories alive. Please Bethany, Harry, Grace...We need to work as a team like we used to for all the other class trials, no more fighting each other or despair."

My friends still seemed to be stuck in conflict, but my words seemed to be working even better, I continued to smile.

"Hold it!" cried Bat Wing.

We all quickly turned to Bat Wing's direction.

"You three idiots can't be falling for her words can you?! It is all lies!"

"What!?" cried Bethany.

"What is Bat Wing doing?!" I cried to myself.

"If Annie is the killer, this is the kind of crap she would be saying to fool you guys! Keep that in mind!" continued Bat Wing.

My friends appeared to think over what Bat Wing just told them, and out of nowhere, all that despair came back to them.

"It really was you all along Annie!" accused Harry.

"No!" I cried. "Listen to me!"

"Shut your mouth!" demanded Bethany. "You won't fool us with your words anymore!"

"You killed her Annie!" accused Grace. "You killed Zoe!"

"You're wrong!" I countered. "I didn't do it!"

"Enough of your lies!" yelled Bethany.

"You tried to sacrifice us!" screamed Harry. "You tried to sacrifice us, so you could escape here by yourself!"

"No!" I sobbed as tears started to fall down my face.

"Bat Wing" stated Grace. "I believe we're ready to vote."

"Are you now?" asked Bat Wing.

I struggled to keep myself on feet, as once again I felt despair taking over me.

"Why?! I cried to myself. "Why did Bat Wing place suspicion on me?!"

Whatever the reason was, I needed to think fast to find a way to defend myself, or it was over.


	58. Chapter 58-The Truth

"Time to vote!" exclaimed Harry.

"That sounds like a plan to me!" agreed Bethany.

"Your lies end here, Annie!" screamed Grace.

Tears still coming down my face, I struggled to hold onto my hope and think of something that would change their minds.

"I didn't kill Zoe!" I told myself. "I know I'm innocent! But my friends...They're too lost in despair! Despair that Bat Wing put them in! I need to think fast! I need to think of something that can save me and my friends!"

"Well, this trial sure was great" said Bat Wing. "But if you're all ready to vote, we can get started right away."

My brain went into overdrive and thought of everything that had happened that might be relevant, anything at all that could delay the vote."

"I'm ready!" cried Grace.

"Voting time!" replied Harry.

"We're voting for you Annie!" yelled Bethany.

"Okay!" exclaimed Bat Wing. "Time...

I had it!

"STOP!" I shouted so loud, both my voice hurt and I started everyone in the courtroom. Even Alec, who had started to walk by, was looking at me. "Don't vote yet! Don't vote!"

"Huh?" asked Bat Wing.

"There is more! There is way more than we think!"

My three friends had stopped shouting during my outburst, but were still trapped in despair.

"What?!" demanded Harry.

"What lies do you have now?!" growled Bethany.

"We don't want to hear it!" shouted Grace.

"Shut up! Shut up!" I cried at my friends. "All three of you...SHUT THE HELL UP!"

My friends were taken back by my tone, and I honestly felt bad for shouting at them like that. But I had to get them to stop and listen.

"I'm sorry guys" I apologized. "But you need to stop talking and listen to me. Just please!"

They didn't say anything.

"I didn't kill Zoe, and I have more to add to this trial." I then turned to Bat Wing. "We're not ready to vote yet, so don't you dare start it."

"Fine" frowned Bat Wing. "But if the others don't change their minds after you're finished, we're voting."

"Deal" I then looked at my friends. "Listen to me guys, I'll tell you who really killed Zoe."

Harry, Grace, and Bethany all stared at me in silence. They were still in despair, but my outbursts seemed to have at least gotten them back to reality.

"Okay" replied Grace.

"I'm listening" said Bethany.

"Go on" urged Harry.

Still looking at my friends, I smiled. "Thank you guys."

"Just get on with it!" complained Bat Wing.

Ignoring him, I began. "Hear me out, but pay attention. What I'm about to say is a lot to take in, and it may sound like just a theory, but what I'm saying, I know it is the truth. Here we go."

Everyone in the courtroom, including Alec, stared at me hard as I got prepared to reveal it all.

"First off, I know we talked about it before, but everything about Zoe's body is important."

"What do you mean?" asked Grace.

"What was used to kill Zoe, the file for this murder, Bat Wing calling us while no one discovered the body."

"I already told you why!" hissed Bat Wing.

I shook my head. "I don't believe your lies, I know the truth. Also guys, think about this. Zoe's body wasn't bleeding when Bat Wing called us, so her wounds must of happened awhile ago, as in probably overnight."

"But we can't know that for sure, since the file gave us no time of death." replied Harry.

I nodded my head at him. "You're right and it may not of been overnight, but either way, her wounds were not recent, they happened way before we saw her body."

"What are you getting at Annie?' asked Bethany.

"Shush" I shushed her. "Let me finish, I have more."

Bethany was silent, so I continued.

"Remember yesterday, after the five of us left the basement, what was the last thing that Zoe said to us?"

My friends thought about it for a bit.

"If I recall, wasn't it that we didn't need to worry about anything, and that she would be the one to get us out of here?" replied Bethany.

"Was it that?" asked Harry.

"Sure was!" added Bat Wing. "That was the thing she said to you as that was the last time you all saw her! And now, Zoe is dead! Hahahahahaha!"

Ignoring Bat Wing, I continued. "For Zoe to say that, she was up to something for sure, but she ended up being dead."

"What was Zoe up to?" asked Grace.

"I don't fully know yet" I replied. "But I have an idea. Bat Wing!"

"What?!" replied Bat Wing.

"I know you're up to something! Everything I said before, you guarding the body so we could all investigate, the fact that you would let us leave if we passed this trial! I know you're up to something!"

"You're not making any sense..."

"I am! You know I am!" I turned to look at my friends. "Think about it guys! We were all trying our best to survive this! We were getting along better than ever. None of us would have killed Zoe or anyone for that matter. But really think about it here guys, Zoe was always off on her own and often disappeared for awhile."

"The girl was antisocial and overall a bitch" commented Harry.

"Stop it and listen! Where do you think Zoe was always off to?"

"She was usually in the library, right?" suggested Grace.

"Indeed she was, but for this time, she was doing something else."

My friends thought about it for a bit, but didn't seem to realize was I was saying.

"What are you saying Annie?" asked Bethany.

"And where does all this lead up to Bat Wing being up to something?" added Grace.

I cleared my throat. "Why do you think no one found any clues during the investigation?"

No one had an answer.

"The reason we didn't find anything during the investigation was because the killer was able to fully make sure we wouldn't be able to find any."

"Okay..." replied Harry. "But how does that point to the killer and add up with everything else you were saying?"

I closed my eyes and tighten my fist. "Out of the four of us left, none of us killed Zoe! Zoe's killer is Bat Wing!"

"What?!" yelled Grace, Harry, and Bethany."

"More specifically, whoever is controlling Bat Wing killed Zoe!"

My friends just stared at me in shock, unsure what to think about what I had just said. Bat Wing just sat in his chair staring at me, while Alec had finally left the court room.

"Bat Wing?!" stated Harry.

"Bat Wing killed Zoe?!" cried Bethany.

"Bat Wing is the killer?!" added Grace.

"Yes" I replied. "It all makes sense, no one else but the mastermind behind this whole killing game can be responsible for Zoe's death."

Bat Wing continued to stare at me in silence for a bit, before speaking up. "Wrong! Totally wrong! Incorrect! Not right!"

"Don't deny it! You killed her!"

"Don't listen to this bitch you guys! She is crazy! And again, Annie is just trying to throw you guys off because she killed Zoe!"

I glared so hard at Bat Wing. "Another point! Why are you interfering with the trial and trying to single me out?! You know I know the truth, as well as you couldn't stand the fact I was leading the despair out of the others!"

Bat Wing just growled in response

"Could this...Could this really be true?" asked Bethany.

"What...What's going on?!" cried Harry.

"I don't know!" replied Grace.

"I'm right, I know I'm right" I stated. "This time, the killer isn't one of us! It's Bat Wing!"

Bat Wing suddenly started laughing. "You know...This is just too cute! You think all your stupid THEORIES are gonna convince everyone you're telling the truth!?"

I stood my ground. "They aren't theories, they are facts!"

"Prove it! Can you fucking prove it?!"

I smiled at Bat Wing. "Gladly, I will prove that you're the killer with one more piece of evidence."

My friends and Bat Wing all kept their focus on me, waiting for me to reveal the damning evidence.

"Well?!" demanded Bat Wing.

I continued to smile at Bat Wing. "Bat Wing, do you remember what you said, when I asked everyone what Zoe said to us after our trip to the basement?"

The room went silent for a bit, as no one seemed to understand my point.

"Who gives a shit?!" replied Bat Wing.

"I think you will when I reveal what you had said!" I pointed my finger at Bat Wing. "This is it Bat Wing! Your twisted game ends here!"

"Bring it, bitch!"

Scowling at Bat Wing, I brought it. "When I had asked the question, Bethany suggested that Zoe had said not to worry about it, and she would take care of everything. After Bethany answered my question, Harry asked if that was the right answer."

Everyone kept on listening to me, very carefully.

"And that was when you spoke Bat Wing! You said that that was correct! Those were the last words Zoe told us! However, your exact words were that was the thing she said to you as that was the last time you all saw her!"

No one said anything for a bit, as they really thought about what I had just said.

"You're crazy Annie!" said Bat Wing. "You're crazy and pitiful, that doesn't prove shit!"

"Wait!" cried Grace.

"What?!"

"You said it yourself Bat Wing!" yelled Harry.

"What?! What'd I say?!"

"The last time we all saw her!" exclaimed Bethany. "That is what you said!"

"What?! What do you brats mean!?"

I smiled proudly at my friends as they were finally getting it, I also sensed the despair slowly leaving them. However, Bat Wing was slowly losing it.

"Stop messing with me, you little shits! I'll execute all of you right now if you don't cut it out!"

I turned back to face Bat Wing, my face filled with hope and determination. "And you said I was pitiful."

"You little bitch!"

"I thought I had explained it clearly, but I guess not, so allow me to help you Bat Wing."

Bat Wing glared at me.

"When you said that was the last time we saw Zoe, that literally was the last time all four of us saw her. Therefore, the last time we all saw her, she was still alive. Therefore, none of could of killed her, as that would have been the last time they would of seen Zoe."

Bat Wing gasped, realizing his slip up.

"The last time Bethany saw Zoe, she was still alive. The last time Harry saw Zoe, she was still alive. The last time Grace saw Zoe, she was still alive. And finally, the last time I saw Zoe, she was still alive!"

"No! This is..." Bat Wing was at a lost for words.

"If none of us killed Zoe, that only leaves you Bat Wing! Just give it up already!"

Bat Wing growled very loudly.

"It's over Bat Wing!" cried Grace.

"We...No, Annie discovered Zoe's killer!" added Bethany

"We're gonna vote for you, Bat Wing!" exclaimed Harry.

I continued to smile at my friends. "Thanks guys, I knew you could keep hope alive."

My friends all turned to me, who now looked really upset and guilty.

"Annie..." began Bethany. "I'm so sorry for how I acted and the way I spoke to you...That wasn't at all what I thought...I'm just too weak, too weak that I let despair take control of me!"

"I'm sorry too, Annie" apologized Harry. "This all started with me...I was the first to loose hope and let myself be swallowed by despair...This isn't the way it should of gone."

"I'm sorry Annie!" sobbed Grace. "We were so horrible to you, and you still believed in us! What we did was unforgivable! You shouldn't of done so much to help us!"

Grace continued to sob, but I kept smiling at my friends. "Thanks guys, but please don't think too hard on it. It wasn't your fault, this killing game had just finally gotten to all you, it nearly got to my as well. However, we didn't let that happen. We kept hope alive and came through!"

"Right" agreed Harry.

"Of course" smiled Bethany.

Grace wiped away her tears and slowly smiled as well. "You kept hope alive for us Annie, you're our source of hope."

Nodding at Grace, I quickly turned back to an angry Bat Wing. "Well Bat Wing, what's it gonna be?! Are you gonna let us go?!"

"Yeah!" agreed Harry. "Even better, kill yourself and then let us walk away from this hellhole once and for all!"

Bat Wing still looked angry, but slowly calmed down. "I suppose we should get to the grand finale, this game is still quite boring."

Suddenly, Bat Wing appeared to shut off, as the room court room started to fill with smoke.

"What the hell?!" cried Bethany.

"What is this?!" I yelled.

My friends and I started to panic a little as smoke continued to fill the room. After several more moments, the room cleared of smoke Bat Wing was also no longer in his usual chair, but in his place was a stranger. The stranger wore a long black robe that covered his whole body.

"Who are you?!" cried Grace.

"Talk! Now!" ordered Bethany.

The stranger did nothing, but stay on the chair.

"Who the hell are you?!" demanded Harry.

My anxiety was back again, making my heart pound super hard.

"Is this the mastermind?" I asked myself.

"Are you the mastermind?!" I called out to the stranger.

The stranger did nothing for several more moments, then slowly removed their hood, which revealed the face of a man who appeared to be in his late twenties. He had pitch black, dark hair and bright green eyes. His expression was emotionless.

Then the strange man jumped down from the chair, and into the middle of our podiums. His landing made a somewhat loud noise, which made all of us on edge.

"You bastard!" growled Harry. "Just who are you?"

The man suddenly smiled and spoke. "Allow me to explain everything."


	59. Chapter 59-The End?

My friends and I stared at the man, all of us reacting differently. Bethany was on her guard, ready to fight if needed. Harry was angry and wanting all of our questions answered. Grace looked pretty scared, but appeared to be trying to overcome it. I was just still really anxious, but kept my focus on this robed man. He continued to smile at us.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"YES!" My friends and I all cried out.

The man frowned. "No need to yell, we can all be civil here. The man crossed his arms. "I suppose I should introduce myself first, my name is Bison."

"Bison what?" asked Grace.

"Bison" started laughing. "Just Bison, my birth name is irrelevant, I only need the name given to me by my lord."

"What the hell is this guy going on about?" I asked myself.

Bison laughed a bit more, before continuing. "But more on that later, as I said my name is Bison, I been the one controlling and talking through Bat Wing, as well as observing all you during this killing game. Therefore, I suppose I am the mastermind."

"You fucking bastard!" screamed Harry.

"Civil, civil now"

"Harry" urged Bethany. "Just let him talk for now."

Harry balled his fists at Bison, but he didn't try anything else.

Bison smiled at Bethany. "Thank you Bethany, anyway where was I? Oh yes, I am the mastermind."

"Are your working alone?" I asked.

"In this killing game, yes it has been just me. However, I'm never alone anywhere else."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Grace.

Bison smiled very evilly, which gave me the chills and made my anxiety worse. "You see my children, I am part of a society, a very secret society, well I guess it hasn't been secret in a long time."

"What kind of society?" asked Bethany.

"We call ourselves Dark Storm, and our purpose in life is to serve our lord, who desires we bring despair into this world!"

Bison started laughing very evilly, while the rest of us looked on in horror.

"What?" cried Grace "Despair?!"

"What does that have to do with us?!" I replied.

Bison's smile grew even creepier. "You don't understand your part in your future lord's plan yet?!"

"No!" roared Harry. "We don't understand anything you're saying!"

"Do not worry, you will soon enough."

I honestly didn't like anything Bison was saying, I kept my guard up."

Bison took his eyes onto all of us, before resuming. "We live to serve our lord! And since our lord demands despair, we will bring despair onto the whole world!" 

I struggled to hold onto my hope as the word despair had an evil power to it.

"But again, what does this have to do with us and this school?" asked Bethany.

"SHUT UP!" roared Bison. "No more talking until I'm finished!"

His outburst made all of us jump, Grace stared to sob a bit.

"Good, now time for the good part." Bison put his hands together. "For year, we gathered many followers and power, while keeping it all on the down low since we are a secret society. Once our lord was ready, we went straight into action!

Bison stopped to give us all another evil smile, after that, it was silence.

"Can we ask questions now?" asked Grace.

"Indeed you may" assured Bison.

"Okay...What did your society do?"

"I'm glad you asked my dear Grace, we brought despair all over the entire world!"

My friends and I all gasped in shock, we couldn't believe what Bison had just told us.

"No way!" cried Harry.

"It can't be!" sobbed Grace.

"Liar!" accused Bethany.

Bison laughed evilly. "Oh I'm not lying, I'm telling the truth my children. Dark Storm has attacked the whole world and now, there is only despair!"

"I don't believe you!" cried Grace.

"You don't? Well maybe this will jog your memory, remember the first hint I gave you awhile ago?"

We all thought for a bit, until it hit us all like a brick.

"Those newspaper headline!" I cried. "They were real?!"

"I remember...One of them was about the world being at war!" realized Bethany.

"And terrorists attacking!" added Grace.

"How rude" muttered Bison. "Terrorists...We are a society!"

"Wait though!" cut in Harry. "The final headline was about this school being on lockdown, why was that a big deal?"

It hit me like a brick again! "And the other hint you gave us Bison! That photo that had all eighteen of us posing for what appeared to be a class photo!"

"Tell us the meaning of these!" ordered Bethany. "What was so special about Future Hope Academy?!"

"And why were all of us in a photo, when we didn't know each other until this killing game started?!" asked Grace.

Bison's smile grew larger and eviler. "Some ultimates you are, if you can't even figure that one out!"

"Tell us!" demanded Harry.

"Of course, first off, it should be a no brainer why Future Hope Academy was shut down. This school is suppose to produce the future's hope, so of course you and your deceased friends had to be safe from what was going on outside."

"I don't like what Bison is saying" I nervously thought to myself.

"If you haven't already figured it out yet, allow me to cut to the chase! All eighteen of you, who participated in this killing game attended Future Hope Academy for nearly one school year!"

"What?!" shouted Bethany.

"This can't be true!" cried Grace.

"Oh, but it is!" assured Bison. "You know knew each other and were friends for quite some time! You attended classes together and developed bonds with each other! When you all met in the gym for the start of the killing game, that was not at all the first time you all met each other!"

"That would explain the photo!" I cried to myself. "And..."

"Our clothes!" I cried out. "This explains why our clothes were already in our rooms when we first investigated the building! And that group photo of us too!"

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Harry.

"This...This is all starting to make sense!" cried Grace.

"It would...appear so" agreed Bethany.

"I'm glad you're all finally getting it" smiled Bison.

"But, wait!" cried Grace.

"Yes?" 

"Why didn't any of us recognize each other or remember attending Future Hope Academy?!"

Bison laughed again, which I was getting sick of. "All real simple my dear event planner, if you recall, I mentioned Future Hope Academy tried to protect you."

"You did" replied Bethany.

Bison rubbed his hand over his bald head. "Well...it wasn't really much of a plan! All they did was keep you locked in up this school!"

"That also explains why the front entrance and windows are all covered up!" I told myself."

"Dark Storm attacked, and we succeeded! Any staff that was trying to keep you safe, we slaughtered!"

"No!" cried Grace.

"Oh yes! We killed them all! And then, we captured all of you ultimates!"

"But why us?!" asked Harry.

"Hahahaha! This is probably my favorite part. You see, Future Hope Academy's ultimate students were big targets of ours. You're all suppose to be the future's hope, but we knew you could serve a much bigger purpose, the future's despair!"

"The future's despair?!" I cried.

"No! No way!" growled Bethany.

"Yes way!" replied Bison. "After capturing you all, we erased your memories from your entire year attending this school."

"You erased our memories?!" cried Grace.

"Bastard!" yelled Harry.

"That explains it though!" I thought to myself. "Bison and whoever erased all our memories from Future Hope Academy! That is why nobody recognized each other or remembered coming to the school!"

"Anyway" continued Bison. "We needed you to be fresh for the killing game. As I said, we intended to turn you into the future's despair, which is why our lord came up with the killing game. You see, the goal was to fill you with so much despair, you would fit right on in with Dark Storm."

"Then why did you try to make us kill each other?!" demanded Harry.

"With any great purpose, sacrifices is needed. If any of you ended up killed by another, we didn't care, anyone who was killed like that is too weak to serve our lord. The same thing would of applied for anyone who failed the class trial, both the killer who failed to get away with their crime, as well as all the innocent people who couldn't save themselves in the end. However, we knew we would lose a big majority of you if the killings kept happening, great despair does take time to build, hence why only four out of eighteen of you have made it to this point."

"You just...used us for your sick purpose?!" cried Grace. "And manipulated us into killing each other?!"

"Unforgivable!" roared Bethany.

Bison gave us another evil laugh. "Hey now, I didn't do anything. They all chose to kill, while you guys voted them and sent them to their executions."

"Executions you caused!" screamed Harry. "And your motives!"

"I know, they sure were impressive."

"This guy is sick!" I cried to myself.

"But getting back on track, I was left in charge of this killing game by our lord. I knew I had to succeed for him. And I'm just about done."

"Wait!" I cried. "You admitted to killing Zoe thought! Why did you do that?!"

"And how did you kill her?!" cried Grace.

Bison snapped his fingers, and Bat Wing immediately flew down right next to him, starting us all. Bison snapped his fingers again, and sets of claws came out of Bat Wing's fingers, they appeared very sharp.

"Claws?!" cried Bethany.

"Of course" replied Bison, who snapped his fingers again.

Bat Wing flew up to the ceiling, leaving us alone with Bison once again.

"But why though?!" I cried. "Why did you kill Zoe? Your plan was to let us do that to each other, so that our despair would build up!"

"Indeed it was" replied Bison. "But there are a few reasons why Zoe Strong had to die now."

"Why?!" demanded Harry.

Bison sighed. "I guess I should explain myself again, so here we go. "First off, like I said before as Bat Wing, this game was starting to get boring. Only five of you were left, and I didn't sense anyone was gonna kill, so I skipped the motive, and did my own killing."

Bethany and Harry growled at Bison, while Grace struggled to keep herself from sobbing.

Bison smiled, sensing he was causing negative energy. "Moving on and unfortunately for Zoe, she got too smart for her own good."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Zoe spent a lot of time doing her own investigating to uncover any truths, and she actually managed to do it."

My eyes went wide. "And after our trip to the basement..."

"Correct! Zoe actually planned to put a stop to my killing game, but of course, she failed horribly!"

"What did you do to her?!" cried Grace.

Bison laughed. "I killed her obviously, but on a serious note, last night while you were all sleeping, she went to the front entrance and demanded Bat Wing come to her. Being really curious, I sent him. She explained how she managed to find out everything, and that she would put a stop to it all. She was indeed really brave and somewhat smart, but also really foolish! Did she really think I would just let her tell the rest of you the truth or do anything else she had in mind! And with me being bored of this game, killing her to frame one of you seemed like the perfect way to end it all in style!"

Bison laughed his head off, while everyone else was just lost in it all.

"Fiend!" growled Bethany. "You fiend!"

Bison turned to face Bethany. "I'm not a fiend, I'm just doing my best to serve my lord by creating what he desires, despair!"

With that, Bison let out his most evilest laugh yet, it chilled me to the core.

"What happened now?" I asked. "Are you gonna let us go?"

"What?" replied Bison as he turned to look at me.

"Yeah! Annie is right!" agreed Harry. "You said we could leave if we discovered who killed Zoe!"

"And we did!" added Grace. "Make sure you're on the voting screens, and then start the vote!"

Bison just gave us a creepy smile. "Let you go? Are you sure you want to leave this place to go outside?"

Bison snapped his fingers, and multiple screens came down right in front of us. My friends and I turned to them to see what Bison had to show us. A few moments went by until images appeared on the screens, and that is when all hope started to be lost!

The images that appeared on the screen were just...despair inducing! They were simply horrible. Cities were covered in flames and falling apart. Buildings and houses were destroyed. People were running for their lives, while others were dead or appeared to by dying on the ground. Blood, there was so much blood! Several figures wearing the same robe as Bison also appeared in the images as well.

"They must be with the same society as Bison!" I thought to myself. "Dark Storm!"

Those figures, no, those monsters did so many horrible things in the images. They attacked people with various weapons. They started fires all over. They grabbed people of all ages and took them away. They were even raping women and children! It was too horrible to even look it! I turned my face away as the tears started to come down from my eyes.

"No!" screamed Bethany.

I turned to her direction and saw she had started to cry as well. I then saw the screen she was staring at showed a football stadium in flames, with many dead bodies of what appeared to be former high school football players.

"My old high school and teammates!" cried Bethany.

Sensing Bethany was starting to lose hope and go back to despair, I struggled with thinking of something to tell her to help.

"No!" cried Harry. "My archery center!"

I turned to see Harry was also crying as well, as well as going back to despair. The screen he was looking at showed what appeared to be some sort of archery place on fire with so many dead bodies around it.

"That center is where I learned everything!" cried Harry. "And now..."

"Harry..." I tried to start with.

"No!" cried Grace. "No! No! No!"

I turned to Grace, who was full on sobbing and falling into despair. The screen she was looking at showed what appeared to be a big event hall on fire and slowly falling apart.

"That event hall is where I planned so many of my biggest events!" cried Grace. "And now... And now!"

"Grace, please..." I said.

Bison laughed again. "Better worry about your own feelings first, Annie!"

I turned back to Bison, and a screen near him showed the therapist office I work at was in flames as well! It was falling apart, and I also saw the dead bodies of my coworkers and patients.

"No!" I sobbed as the tears started pouring out of my eyes.

All four of us were crying our eyes out and slowly drifting into despair. I tried to cling on to my hope, but this was all too much. We thought we had finally beaten this killing game, but the truth it us like a sack of bricks. Dark Storm had destroyed the world, and turned it into a paradise of despair. Everything we thought we would have once we got out of Future Hope Academy was gone. We had nothing but dying hope, and despair.

"I think you all finally get it!" laughed Bison. "I can let you leave and get back to the outside world, but there really isn't much of an outside world left! What are you gonna do?! Try to survive?! You'll be dead in hours! Not all Dark Storm members know who you ultimates are! Once they have you in their sights, you're dead!"

Bison laughed out loud, as I fought to keep my hope from letting despair consume me. I looked around at Bethany, Harry, and Grace. They were all doing much worse than me.

"No!" I cried to myself. "I had just gotten them all out of despair! And now, it's worse than ever!"

Bison continued to laugh. "But don't worry my students! You all are still really valuable to Dark Storm! Here is what our lord has in mind for you. You're all gonna join Dark Storm!"

"Join Dark Storm?!" I cried to myself. "Become slaves of despair?!"

Bison stopped laughing to give us all a smile. "Your ultimate talents are suppose to be used for hope, but now they will be used for a much bigger purpose! Despair! Bethany Howard, the Ultimate Punter, and Harry Amsterdam, the Ultimate Archer, you two will be most valuable as warriors for Dark Storm! I know you'll be able to rack up high body counts with your skills!"

Bethany and Harry said nothing as they continued to cry.

"Grace Stonewell, the Ultimate Event Planner, your events normally bring happiness, but now they will bring despair! You will be in charge of planning all of Dark Storm's missions, and other events we may have for you as well. I know you'll be able to make sure everyone is full of despair the whole time!"

Grace said nothing as she continued to sob.

"And finally, Annie Bless, the Ultimate Therapist, even now, you're still the weakest one in the room in terms of despair and the fact you're still trying to hang onto that poison known as hope!"

"That's right!" I thought to myself. "Even now if I'm struggling, I will always trying to hang onto hope! And I will never let despair consume me!"

"You still need some work my dear, but that is okay! That is why I'm here! Once you're fully filled with despair, you will serve Dark Storm as our therapist to anyone who may need help with keeping their despair on track!"

"No!" I cried to myself.

"No!" I shouted out loud. "I won't do it!"

"What?" replied a confused Bison.

"I won't do it! I can't do it! I shouldn't do it! I'm not gonna do it! I will never become a slave to despair! I will always be a fighter for hope! Hope always outshines despair in the end! This time is no exception! I don't care if that path I always wanted to walk won't ever become a reality, I can always walk this new path of fighting for hope!"

Bison seemed a bit shocked by my outburst, but still keep his composure. "Are you sure Annie? The world you once knew is no more, only our lord's vision of a perfect world."

"Screw your lord and his vision!"

"What?! How dare you sa."

"Shut up! Shut up Bison! I don't wanna hear anymore from you!"

Bison was shocked again, and now looked a bit angry.

"I will be okay, as long as I have hope. The future always holds hope! As long as I have that, no kind of despair will get in my way. And just isn't my hope, I will carry on the hope of all our friends who were victims of your awful killing game! They had hope too! And even if they aren't with us anymore, I will make sure there hope never dies! The memories of Shauna, Troy, Dianna, Barry, Mara, Gordon, Seth, Clay, Leah, Maxwell, Laurel, Bradford, Den, and Zoe! Their hope will help me survive!"

Bison was still somewhat angry, but it quickly left his face. "Very touching in a way, extremely pointless and you still need a lot of work, but somewhat touching. But tell me Miss Hope, you may feel that way now, but what of the others?"

"Huh?" I turned to look at Bethany, Harry, and Grace. "Guys?"

Nothing had changed, they still just stood there crying, while continuing to let despair consume them.

"What hope is there, Annie?" asked Grace. "All I see is despair."

"No! Grace, please!"

"Everything we ever worked for, gone!" cried Harry. "Everything we once knew, gone!"

"Harry!"

"What is the point of trying to fight this?" asked Bethany. "We can't do anything anymore."

"You're wrong Bethany!"

Bison started laughing again. "Your classmates have spoken Annie, and it seems they're on the side of despair now! But what are you gonna do?"

Bison grinned as he waited for my answer, while my friends continued their despair talk. My hope had made a comeback and overpowered any despair that may have been trying to infect me, but I couldn't end this by myself. I needed my friends, but they needed to find hope first. It was either up to me or this was gonna be the end.


	60. Chapter 60-The Angel of Hope

"You really have no choice!" declared Bison. "Either you join Dark Storm to serve our lord or you go outside and die!"

I had to really think fast now, despite my anxiety. Bethany, Harry, and Grace were being consumed by despair and I had to save them.

"That's it!" said Harry. "I give up!"

"I'm too tired of all of this!" cried Grace. "I just want it all to end!"

"We have no more hope!" replied Bethany. "Only despair is here."

"Excellent" laughed Bison. "Get ready to serve our lord in Dark Storm!"

"No!" I cried to myself. "I can't let this happen!"

"Stop!" I cried.

Everyone turned to look at me, my friends with only despair in their eyes, while Bison just looked like he was enjoying himself.

"Something you have to say Annie?" asked Bison.

"Shut up Bison! Just shut up! Your words aren't needed!" I cried.

Bison simply snickered, as I looked around at my friends.

"Harry! Bethany! Grace!" I cried.

None of them had a response for me.

"Please guys! You can't give up on hope! No matter how it seems, no matter what actually happened! We can't quite and submit to despair! We won't actually be living for anything!"

"But Annie..." began Bethany. "What other option do we have? The world that was once full of promise to all of us...is no more!"

"We have nothing worth living for anymore" agreed Grace. "The only way to stay safe is to join Bison in Dark Storm."

"I'm just...too weak!" cried Harry.

"I think that's it" smiled Bison.

As my anxiety grew, my hope started to fade, but I kept on pushing back any despair that may have been trying to replace it.

"No!" I cried to myself. "This can't be the end! It isn't over!"

"Ready to go guys?" asked Bison

And with that, it all came to be. It felt like an aura of gold was shinning around with me with the levels of hope power I was feeling. I had no despair or anxiety, only hope. And I was gonna use that hope to save my friends and stop Bison once and for all.

"No!" I cried to so loud. "We aren't going anywhere with you Bison!"

"What?!" reacted Bison.

"I said we aren't going anywhere with you! We are finally getting out of here!"

I looked at all my friends, with hope shinning in my eyes. "Listen to me guys, and listen good! I don't have all the answers we need, and I'm in the same boat as you, as well as in terms of being just as scared as you at what our future will end up like. But I do know one thing that is for sure.

"What?" complained Grace.

"That as long as you have that hope, everything will be okay! Our hope will help protect us in this new world! We will fight and never give up! Despair won't help us! Despair will only continue to drag us down! Please guys! I need you to help me!"

My friends didn't say anything, while still being full of despair. I had to up my game.

"Grace!"

"What Annie? Just stop it already..."

"No! You stop it Grace! This isn't like you at all!"

"Huh?"

"The Grace I know always tries her best to take care of everyone else! We need you Grace! We need you to keep your hope alive! Life outside is gonna be hard, I won't lie. But with you keeping us fed, I know we won't need to worry about starving!"

With that, something clicked in Grace's eyes. It was hope!

"You're...You're right Annie!"

"What?!" screamed Bison.

"Bethany!" I turned to her.

"What Annie?" asked Bethany.

"You're strong Bethany! You are so strong and yo know it! You're the strongest one here! You been the big sister our group needs! We need you in the outside world! We need you to protect us! Only you are the strongest Bethany!"

The same hope clicked in Bethany's eyes!

"Yes...I know what I still have to do!"

"What shit is this?!" screamed Bison. "What happened to your despair?!"

"Harry! I turned to him.

Harry didn't respond.

"Harry! Listen to me!"

"Leave me alone Annie!" yelled Harry. "I don't wanna do this anymore!" 

"No! I won't leave you alone! I won't stop until you're back to the Harry we need!"

That got his attention. "The Harry...you need?"

"It's okay Harry. I know you feel like this awful game has changed you. It honestly changed all of us a bit for the worse. But in the end, we're still okay as long as hope is still alive within us. Harry, you always been so kind and thoughtful, we need that for outside. We need that positive energy to keep our spirits up, we need you!"

Harry didn't reply for several moments, but he suddenly slammed his hands on his podium. "You're right Annie! I been down in the dumps for too long now! No way in hell am I joining this crazy cult! We're finally getting out of here!"

I smiled at all my friends, as Bison continued to panic.

"No!" screamed Bison. "No! This isn't despair! This is that poison known as hope! No! How could this happen?! How could I have failed?!"

"You messed with the wrong class" I replied.

Harry smiled as he left his podium to join me at mine. He took his hand in mine, which I gladly allowed.

"No deal Bison!" roared Harry. "We aren't joining your cult!"

"How dare you!" screamed Bison. "Dark Storm is a society!"

Grace left her podium too and joined me and Harry at mine. She took my other hand in hers, which I easily allowed.

"You may of gotten this far!" screamed Grace. "But this is as far as you go! We will defeat you!"

"No!" yelled Bison as he fell to his knees.

Bethany left her podium to join the rest of us at mine. She wrapped her arms around all of us.

"We aren't as weak as you think!" growled Bethany. "You may of gotten some of us to our worse points, but we had an angel of hope to save us!"

"Angel of Hope" I thought to myself. "Does she mean me?"

"Damn you all!" screamed Bison. "Damn you and that toxic hope! You were suppose to serve our lord! You were suppose to serve despair!"

"Shove that despair all you ass!" replied Harry.

"We choose hope!" added Grace.

I smiled at Bison. "Looks like you lose Bison, now let us out of here!"

Bison didn't do anything for several moments, until he looked at us with extreme hatred in his eyes. "You'll pay for this! You'll all pay for this! You Annie Bless, will pay the most!"

"Bring it."

Bison hissed at us as he pulled some remote out of his robe. He pushed a button on it and then threw it at the wall.

"What did you do?" asked Harry.

Bison looked away. "As agreed on, I am letting you all out. The button I pushed is removing the steel covering from the front entrance, the door will be accessible again real soon."

"Excellent!" smiled Grace.

"Get up!" ordered Bethany. "You're coming with us!"

Bison looked up at us, now with his face full of defeat. "No, I won't be."

"If you think we're gonna let you get away with this, you're crazy!" growled Harry.

"No! I don't deserve to leave this place! I failed! I failed Dark Storm! I failed our lord! I failed despair! I don't deserve to to live!"

With one last loud roar, Bison pulled out a giant dagger from his robe. Before any of us could even react, he plunged the dagger straight into his heart. Blood started coming out only seconds later.

"No!" I cried!

"We gotta stop the bleeding!" cried Grace.

The four of us ran to Bison, but stopped when he raised a hand in our direction.

"No..." moaned Bison. "You...can't...do...anything! I'm...done for!" Bison was slowly dying.

"Why did you do that?!" I demanded.

Bison looked up at me. "I...failed! I...don't...deserve...to live!"

"You're crazy" muttered Harry.

Bison fell onto his back, his life seemed to be almost gone. "Dark...Storm...is still...out...there! You...fools! You...won't...survive..."

Bison slowly stopped speaking, and then he went limp. Bison was dead. My friends and I stood there, staring at his body. Grace slowly started sobbing again, I joined her pretty quickly. Bethany and Harry struggled to keep themselves from breaking down. Bethany gathered us all into a group hug, where we held each other tightly.

"It's over" whispered Bethany. "The killing game is finally over."

"We did it" replied Harry. "We survived."

"All thanks to you Annie" added Grace as she wiped her tears away. "You truly are the angel of hope."

"Thanks guys" I thanked. "But it wasn't all me, you guys had your hope too."

"No" disagreed Harry. "It really was all you Annie. The rest of us truly were at our worse points ever since finding Zoe's body. Despair took over us, while you had to fight to keep our hope alive."

"We do owe you a sincere apology" replied Bethany.

"I'm sorry Annie" apologized Grace.

"I'm sorry too" added Harry.

"I'm so sorry Annie" replied Bethany.

"Thanks guys" I thanked. "But really, it is okay. None of that matters now, what matters is having hope for the future."

We kept our group hug going for a bit longer, then we left the court room. This will be the last time we ever walked an inch in this awful place, as well as the last time a class trial will be held.

It didn't take too long for us to pack up supplies before it was time to go. We found some backpacks and bags in the storage room, and filled them up with food, water, clothes, etc. It honestly wasn't a whole lot, so we would have to be careful with how we rationed our supplies.

"I can't believe it" I thought to myself. "We're finally getting out of here."

Harry, Bethany, Grace, and I gathered at the front entrance. Like Bison had said, the steel covering the front door was gone, and we could finally walk out of here.

"Well guys" said Harry. "We can finally leave this place."

"This was definitely the hardest thing we any of us had to do so far" replied Bethany. "And while we most likely will have even harder challenges, we managed to come out on top this time."

"Very few of us though" added Grace sadly. "Most of us...are still down there."

Grace turned to the basement, followed by the rest of us.

"She's right" I thought to myself. "The bodies of our fallen classmates, they're all still in the basement. But no way we can bring them."

Grace looked like she was ready to cry again. "We can't leave them here."

"I know what you mean Grace" replied Bethany. "But we just can't do anything about them."

"We can't even take enough supplies" added Harry. "But I don't want to leave our friends either."

"We'll come back for them" I stated. "Once we figure out our new place in this new world, we'll come back for our friends and give them the proper burials they deserve."

Grace nodded. "Okay."

"You should take the first step out of this place Annie" said Harry. "It is because of you that we're all able to."

"Agreed" agreed Bethany. "Lead us to our next destination, Angel of Hope."

I smiled at my friends. "I''ll do my best."

"We know you will" smiled Grace.

Making sure I had a firm grip on all the supplies I was carrying, and giving my three friends a nod, I headed for the front door. With hope shinning through me, I opened the door and stepped outside of Future Hope Academy. Unfortunately, the buildings around it were all pretty much destroyed or on fire. There was no one else around, and the entire area just looked awful.

Bethany, Harry, and Grace soon joined me outside. They all stayed strong, but I knew they weren't feeling the best like I was.

"What have they done?" asked Grace. "What did Dark Storm due to the world?"

"They tried to destroy it with despair" answered Bethany.

"But they failed" replied Harry. "As long as hope exists, they will always fail."

Giving my friends a smile, I lead them away from the school and we all started walking to wherever we were meant to go next with our hope. We didn't have to walk very far, as not long at all after we started walking, several helicopters appeared in the sky. They quickly flew down and landed right next to us. My friends and I stood there in shock, but it soon turned to hope and relief as they turned out to be rescue helicopters. Multiple people got out of the helicopters and ran over to us. They made sure we were okay and got us all on board a helicopter. Then several cars arrived on the scene, and multiple what appeared to agents burst out of them and either headed into Future Hope Academy or came to question us. We explained all we could, and they informed us they had been fighting Dark Storm since they had attacked all over the world. The war was still going on, but Dark Storm members were slowly being taken down, as well as more and more people were being rescued.

That made me feel so much better, knowing that everything was truly gonna be okay. And with that, you have my story. My journey through Hell was a tough one, but in the end, my hope kept me alive. I'm also happy I managed to survive this with my good friends Bethany, Harry, and Grace, I definitely couldn't of made it out of that school without them. Of course though, not everyone made it out alive. I still miss Gordon now, but I know he'll always be apart of memories, heart, and of course my hope. The same goes to the others, I'll never forget any of them.

As the helicopter flew my friends and I away, I looked out the window and saw Alec, the Ultimate Anteater running through the city, I'm glad he managed to get out of there too.

Remember everyone, keep hope alive.


	61. Character Endings Part 1(EXTRA)

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Bradford before we left. I was hanging with Bradford in his room, he was trying to act all cocky like he used to be, before he changed for the better.

"Right on!" exclaimed Bradford as he jumped into the air with his fists up. "We're finally getting out of here and back to our lives! Hell yeah Annie! This is so cool!"

I laughed at Bradford's pitiful impression of his former self. "Yeah, I am quite excited to finally go myself."

Bradford started rocking his fists in there. "This place may have been tough for others, but it definitely

wasn't a problem for me!"

I continued to giggle. "Bradford, stop acting so cocky. I know you aren't like that anymore."

Bradford froze in shock and embarrassment, and slowly settled down. "Yeah, this place was tough on all of us, but we all managed to be come out okay in the end."

"Right, I'm glad nobody got hurt."

"Yeah, me too. But anyway, I'm just hyped to finally getting back out on the track and field."

I smiled at Bradford being excited about his talent. "I know you'll do amazing Bradford. Have you decided which events you're gonna compete in at the Olympics?"

Bradford scratched his head. "I still haven't decided, honestly though, I think I like to do them all."

"Compete in all track and field events in the Olympics? Can you even do that?"

Bradford smiled at me. "I guess we'll find out, but you know what Annie?"

"Yes Bradford?"

"Before when I was an asshole, I never even thought about my wonderful opportunities I will be getting soon with my talent, when I should have been thanking someone every day for them. But now, no matter what I end up doing in the Olympics, or how I even do, or how life will be like after I compete, none of those will be my greatest fortune."

I was confused. "What is then? Or what will be?"

"The fact that you'll be there cheering me one when I'm competing, I couldn't ask for a better supporter to be there for me during my biggest moments."

My heart started to melt and I felt a few tears of joys fall from my eyes. "Bradford...That is just so sweet."

Bradford smiled as he walked over to me and pulled me into a big bear hug, which I quickly returned.

"Of course, I know I'll win all the gold medals with you cheering for me Annie."

I smiled as I enjoyed my hug with my good friend Bradford, I truly am glad I met a friend like him at this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Seth before we left. I was hanging with Seth in his room, he was eating a huge bag of chips.

"Oh my God!" complained Seth. "About damn time, we can leave this shithole!"

I awkwardly laughed. "Yeah, I'm quite ready to leave myself."

"The food here was okay I guess, but I can't just keep eating the same small handful of things over and over again, I need my variety!"

I laughed for real this time. "I can see that Seth, I really can. But besides the somewhat limited food options, our time here wasn't all bad."

"Meh, the food was really all I cared about."

I frowned at Seth as I got a bit more stern. "Come on Seth, think about what could of happened,that we were fortunate enough that it didn't happen."

"Like what?"

"Seth!"

"Okay Okay!" Seth held out his bag of chips in front of his face to shield himself from my wrath. "Things actually went pretty smooth here."

I smiled. "Glad you feel that way."

"Yeah." Seth went back to eating his chips. "Man, I am so hungry. But I got quite a few big eating contests that start not long after we get out of here."

"Oh, I didn't know that, are they really that big?"

"Hell yeah! All the toughest eaters will be there! But of course, we both know I'm the fan favorite to win and I will win!"

Seth quickly ate the rest of his chips and then tossed the bag onto the floor, I laughed at Seth's actions.

"I'm gonna be an even bigger star after I win these eating contests! Hey Annie! You'll be there to watch me win right?"

I continued to smile at Seth. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Awesome! No way I can lose to anyone with you as my personal cheerleader!

Seth was really happy at the fact that I would be at his eating contests to watch him compete, and while I didn't like the title of his personal cheerleader, I was more than happy to be there to support him. Seth might be a rude glut, but I definitely feel over time, he can become a better person and I'm truly glad I met him at this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Gordon before we left. I was hanging with Gordon in his room, we were lying on his bed together, my head resting on his shoulder.

"Soon love" began Gordon. "Soon, we'll finally be able to go home."

I smiled as I snuggled up closer to Gordon, I was just so happy. "I'm glad Gordon."

Gordon put his arms around me to pull me closer towards him. "Things might have been pretty scary at first, but it was just perfect in the end."

I giggled. "Why was that?" I replied, trying to tease him.

"I met you Annie."

I quickly kissed him on the cheek. "I'm so glad I met you too, Gordon."

Gordon started to rub my back. "Once we get back home, I got my next big film festival coming up."

"You do?" I asked excitingly."

"Yeah, even though I'm already set to make it in Hollywood, once I win this one, I'm going straight to the top!"

I smiled again, it was so nice to see Gordon get so pumped up about his talent.

Gordon kissed my forehead. "Also love, I decided to cast you as my lead role in my next film."

"What?!" I replied shocked. "I can't act!"

"I bet you're an amazing actress, besides..." Gordon pulled me closer and tighter. "I'm not the Ultimate filmmaker for nothing, I can turn you into the most amazing actress in the world."

I started to blush. "Gordon..." The thought of me having to act and then people seeing me filled me with anxiety, but it slowly went away knowing I could trust Gordon and the fact that I didn't want to disappoint him."

"What do you say love?"

I quickly kissed him on the cheek. "Of course I'll do it."

Gordon looked really happy. "Thank you Annie, I know you'll do great and our film will win everything!"

I smiled at Gordon as I started up another passionate kiss between us, which he quickly got on board with. We were just so happy together, I still can't believe I can call him my boyfriend. I truly am glad I met a guy like him at this school, one that means so much to me and makes me so happy. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Den before we left. I was hanging with Den in his room, he was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

"About damn time!" complained Den. "I been waiting to get out of this piece of shit school for fucking forever."

I laughed at Den's usual attitude. "It will be nice to get back home and back to our normal lives."

"Like I care what the rest of you do."

I laughed again. "Don't lie Den, I know you'll miss all of your friends."

"You bitches and bastards aren't my friends!"

"Okay! Calm down Den!" I knew that wasn't how he really felt about his classmates, but he would never admit it, and I didn't want to push hit buttons too far.

Den looked away from me, still trying to act like he only cared about himself.

It was awkward silence for a bit before I broke it. "So Den, what do you plan to do once we get out of here?"

Den turned his gaze back to me. "Shit Annie, even now I'm not fully sure what I'll be doing."

"You don't know?"

"I mean, I know I'll be doing some jobs at shows and circuses where I use my talent to woo the stupid, fucking audience with fire or some stupid shit like that."

"You're gonna be a pyromancer? That sounds really cool!"

"I don't give a shit about that, it will just pay the bills for now. What I really need to focus on is some serious thinking for redemption."

"Redemption?"

"Yeah...I still need to atone for what I did and for those who I hurt."

I knew exactly what Den meant, and I knew exactly what to say to him.

"I know you'll find the peace you're searching for one day Den. Also, you can always call me if you need someone to talk to or to help you seek what you're looking for. I'll always be here to help you.

Den actually gave me a small smile. "I'd like that."

I returned the smile, it was so nice to see Den happy. Most people would judge him and label him bad for life, due to his past actions. But it isn't my place to judge someone for what they did in their past, only to help them be a better person today. I'll always help Den, and I truly am glad I met him at this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Dianna before we left. I was hanging with Dianna in her room, she was doing some stretches.

"I'm stoked to go home!" exclaimed Dianna. "Aren't you stoked Annie?"

"Of course I am, Dianna. "I replied. "It will be just wonderful to get back home.

"Hell yeah girl! While it was a lot of fun, hanging out with everyone here, I'm just stoked to be able to play some real volleyball again."

I smiled at Dianna, it was nice to see her so passionate about what she does. "I can definitely see that."

"I'm not even nervous for when it's time for me to play in the Olympics, I'll just be stoked to be on that kind of team!"

"You're not nervous? Not even a little bit?"

"No way girl! I'm super pumped up! Even though I plan to bring home the gold, I'll just be excited to play at that level."

"I'm sure you'll lead your team to victory Dianna, I believe in you."

Dianna finished her stretching and then gave me a double thumbs up, with the biggest smile ever. "Thanks Annie! It truly does mean a lot for me. I'm sure I'll be able to get you a front row seat at the Olympics."

I returned the big smile. "I would love that Dianna."

"All the men who think women don't belong in sports better watch the hell out! Dianna Foxworth is gonna show them just how much the opposite gender can dominate! Oh yeah!" Dianna was getting really fired up now.

I laughed at her enthusiasm. "And I'll be right by your side on your way to the top."

Dianna grinned at me, she then ran over to me and wrapped up in a big hug.

"Ow! Too tight Dianna!"

"Sorry Annie" Dianna slowly released me from her grasp. "But it's just so awesome that you'll both be there to watch me compete in the Olympics, and that you'll be there to watch me dominate."

I gave her another smile. "You can count on me Dianna."

Dianna is definitely a passionate and amazing person, and I can't wait to watch her succeed even more in her talent. I truly am glad I met a friend like her in this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.


	62. Character Endings Part 2(EXTRA)

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Clay before we left. I was hanging with Clay in his room, he was having me ask him some trivia questions.

"Go on Annie" urged Clay. "Give me a tough one."

I sighed as I was getting tired of this game, but I didn't want to disappoint Clay. "What year was the term therapy first used?"

"1846"

Even though Clay is the ultimate trivia master, I was so impressed. "And it's origin?"

"Greek"

"Wow! You're so good! Okay, where are we going soon?"

Clay laughed. "Home Annie, we're going home soon."

I joined in the laugher. "I'm sorry Clay, I couldn't resist."

"Don't worry about it, I'm excited to finally get back home too."

I smiled at Clay. "Things weren't too bad here though."

"Yeah you're right, but I got my hopes, goals, and dreams waiting for me back home."

"To host your own trivia game show right?"

Clay flashed me a huge smile. "Right you are Annie! I mean, I know I'm the ultimate trivia master, but I want to be the one to host the questions and name a winner, that is what I want to do."

"I understand Clay, and I know you'll make it happen. What do you want to call your trivia game show though?"

"Clay's Questions" responded Clay with many amounts of passion. "With your host, Clay Adamson!"

"I like it, it is quite catchy."

"Thanks Annie! You'll come compete on my show when I get it started up? I'll have to be fair and and deny you points if you get a question wrong, but you'll definitely be a contestant on my show right?"

"Of course I will Clay, anything to help you out with your dream."

Clay looked so happy, he rushed over and gave me a hug, which I gladly returned.

"Thank you so much Annie! I know this is gonna be so awesome! I'll definitely make sure you got a spot in the first episode of Clay's Questions."

"I'll be there Clay, you can count on me."

Clay is both a great guy and a great friend, I'm definitely glad I met him at this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Laurel before we left. I was hanging with Laurel in her room, we were gossiping on her bed.

"Oh my God Annie!" squealed Laurel as she grasped my hands in hers. "We're finally going home!"

I smiled somewhat awkwardly as even though I was excited as she was, I wasn't going to share her reactions. "I know right."

"I'll definitely miss all the cute guys here though, and I know for sure you're gonna miss Gor.."

I quickly clamped both of my hands over her mouth in embarrassment. "Come on Laurel! Give me a break!

Laurel quickly removed my hands and smiled at me. "Fine, you win. But you know I'm right."

"Yeah yeah, moving on please."

"Okay! But yeah, sure things were kind of crazy at first, but in the end, I had a lot of fun here with everyone!"

"I did too Laurel, I did too."

"But even so, I'm so happy to be getting back to my radio show! I can't wait to be Miss Stern again!"

I could tell how happy Laurel was. "I'll definitely have to start listening to the radio when I get back to my every day life, I bet your show is amazing."

Laurel gave me a couple peace signs. "You bet it is! Hey Annie! I just had the best idea!"

"Yes Laurel?"

"When we get out of here and I get back to being Miss Stern, you gotta be a guest on my radio show!"

"Wait, what?"

"Come on! It will be so fun! You'll do amazing! I'm sure the audience will love you!"

"Well...I...I mean...What will I talk about?"

"Whatever you want Annie! Perhaps..." Laurel seemed to lose her energy. "Perhaps we can have a serious episode where you talk about your therapy thing. I know you'll like that, and it would be a way to thank you for listening to me talk about me being raped."

I quickly pulled Laurel into a hug. "You don't need to thank me Laurel, but I'll definitely be a guest for you, it would be an honor."

Laurel quickly returned the hug. "Thank you Annie, I know it will be awesome."

"I can't wait."

As we hugged, I was happy that I was able to help Laurel with her issues and the fact I would be a guest on her show. Laurel is definitely a good friend and I was so fortune to meet her in this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Mara before we left. I was hanging with Mara in her room, she was telling me some story from her past, while sounding very cocky.

"Since I pretty much won every business proposal contest I entered, I had a lot of prize money to launch my own businesses, which all immediately made profit" explained Mara.

"Wow Mara...That is just so cool."

"Don't worry Annie, you can learn a lot from me if I choose to lend you my wisdom."

"Kill me now please" I thought to myself.

"But that will have to wait until later as we are finally getting out of this prison" continued Mara.

"I'm happy to be leaving too, but it wasn't all bad was it?"

"Are you kidding? I can't think of a worse group of people to be stuck in a hellish building with."

I laughed, knowing Mara didn't really think that way of everyone.

"What are you laughing at Annie?" asked Mara.

"Oh Mara" I continued to laugh. "Don't pretend you don't think of us as your friends."

"Ridiculous! You better cut that out Annie! I have something in mind for you that I can easily reconsider."

"Oh, you have something for me?"

Mara crossed her arms tightly. "Even though the rest of these people are idiots, I see great potential in you Annie. I was thinking of hiring you as my assistant."

"Really?"

"Yes really, but saying anymore ridiculous things like you just did and you can wave goodbye to that job."

"Whatever you want, Miss Ford."

"Don't call me Miss Ford, just call me Mara, first names is what friends call each other."

"Mara..." I was speechless.

"Quit it!"

It was so heart warming to hear Mara say we're friends. I'm gonna work hard as her assistant to help her succeed in her businesses. She may be a cocky bitch sometimes, but deep down, I know she means well. I'm glad I met her at this school and I can't wait to see where the future takes us. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Maxwell before we left. I was hanging with Maxwell in his room, he was giving me his usual creepy smile, while making me uncomfortable.

"So baby" said Maxwell. "When are we gonna have sex?"

"Maxwell!" I yelled. "That is so inappropriate! You know I have a boyfriend! And even if I didn't, that is no way to talk to anyone!"

"You never answered my question."

I quickly got up and slapped Maxwell in the face. He fell down in pain.

"Ow!"

"What were you saying Maxwell?"

Maxwell slowly got up, while rubbing his face. "I can't wait to get out of this place."

I smiled, happy that he wasn't being creepy for now. "Me too Maxwell. It has been a combination of good and bad times, but it is definitely time to go home."

"I miss spying on the girls back home."

I rolled my eyes at Maxwell being Maxwell, before changing the subject. "Are you doing any fishing once you get back home?"

"You bet I am! I got a big contest that is gonna be shown on tv! It is gonna be huge! Hey Annie, you should come by to see me!"

"As long as you don't be creepy towards me or anyone else, I'll be there."

"Well..."

"Maxwell!"

"Yes ma'am! No being creepy! Just fishing!"

I smiled slowly at Maxwell. He has a long way to go before he can truly become a better person, but I think I'm just the one to whip him and probably slap him into shape. And I know supporting him at his fishing contest will mean a lot to him, so of course I'm gonna go. Maxwell is a huge pervert, but he'll be better in due time. I am glad I met him at this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Shauna before we left. I was hanging with Shauna in her room, she was holding her hands together nervously.

"I know I should just be happy Annie" began Shauna. "But I'm just a little nervous to get back to my normal life."

"Why are you nervous Shauna?"

Shauna looked away. "I don't know really, I just am."

"Try not to be nervous Shauna, we survived this whole ordeal and everything will be back to normal real soon."

Shauna turned back to me and smiled. "You're right. I shouldn't be nervous, just happy. We did do it!"

"There you go!" I was so proud of Shauna.

"You're right Annie! I can't be nervous at all. Not now! We're going home!"

"Okay there Shauna, try not to overdue it."

"Right!" Shauna looked away again.

Trying to break the ice, I changed the subject. "What do you think is next for you and your chess career?"

Shauna looked back at me, who now looked a bit confused. "Honestly, I'm not really sure just yet. I'll keep playing chess and doing my best to keep my title as the ultimate chess champion, but I still don't really have any goals in mind. I'll guess I'll just see where the wind takes me."

"No pressure Shauna, you're already off to a good start as well, just keep doing your best."

Shauna gave me a big smile. "Thank you Annie, and hey, we should play some chess when we get out of here."

"Me face off against you in chess?"

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

"Well I wouldn't want you too, but if you wanna play, I'll do it."

"Thank you so much Annie! I'm already looking forward to it!"

Shauna now held her hands together happily and I continued to smile at her. If it means that much to her to just play her in chess, I will gladly do it. Shauna is such a sweet girl, and I'm glad I met her in this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Bethany before we left. I was hanging with Bethany in her room, we had just ran many laps in the gym, so we were sitting on her bed, resting.

"That was a great workout we did Annie" said Bethany.

"I agree" I replied, while panting.

"A good workout before we leave this place, I can't think of a better way to end our time here."

"I guess so, but we sure did have some good times in this school."

"Agreed, I will always cherish the memories I made here with our class, but we all have bigger things to focus on, once we get back to home."

"Indeed we do, what are your future plans for your football career?"

Bethany got real serious. "I'm already the ultimate punter, Annie. But I want to do and achieve more. I believe I can do it, but I have a tryout for the NFL, and if I make the cut, my ultimate title will then be ultimate football pro."

"Wow Bethany! That is so amazing! I know you can do it! That will be a huge thing for all female athletes!"

Bethany gave me a smile. "Thank you Annie, I know I can do it...But honestly, I am a bit nervous, even just thinking about it now, when it is still not for some time."

"I see, well is there anything I can do to help you?"

"I think so, Annie..." Bethany began. "Will you workout with me during my training before the tryout? And also, can you go with me to the tryout? It would definitely help me."

I smiled back at Bethany. "I will Bethany, I'll work hard with you every day."

Bethany gave me an even bigger smile and then wrapped me up in a huge hug, She honestly was crushing me quite a bit.

"Thank you so much Annie, I'm so fortune to have a friend like you."

"Ow! Bethany! Please let go!"

Bethany instantly released me. "I'm sorry, I forget my own strength sometimes."

"No worries at all Bethany, I'm glad we're friends too."

I know it would be a lot of hard work, but I'm determined to do my best to help Bethany be in the best shape she can be for her NFL tryout, and that she is feeling her best. Bethany is like a big sister to me, and I'm so glad we became such close friends at this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.


	63. Character Endings Part 3(EXTRA)

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Troy before we left. I was hanging with Troy in his room, he was practicing his sign language.

Troy spent several minutes focused on practicing his talent. While I understood Troy wanting to practice, I was getting quite impatient.

"Hey Troy!" I cried.

Troy was startled by my small outburst. "Yes Annie?"

"Look, I know how serious you are about practicing, but you'll have all the time in the world for that when you get back home, we're only here for a little bit longer."

Troy nodded at me and put his hands down. "Fair enough, we will be leaving soon."

I smiled at Troy. "Yeah, it sure has been quite the ride."

"Indeed it has."

"Anyway Troy, what is your next step for your career as a signer?"

"Oh I know I'll always be able to get hired wherever they need someone with my skills, so I never worry about that. I just worry about making sure my skills are on top and of course, Oliver."

"Right, I bet you're super excited to see him."

Troy's eyes showed so much happiness. "Yes, I am. I missed him so much, Annie. I miss my brother."

"Don't worry Troy, you'll be seeing him real shortly."

I swear, I saw a few tears fall down Troy's eyes. He truly does love his brother.

"Every day that we been at this school, I missed communicating with him, through sign language."

It was honestly so cute, the way Troy was acting right now.

"Hey Annie" began Troy.

"Yeah Troy?" I replied.

"When we get back home, do you wanna come over and meet Oliver?"

I was a little shocked. "You want me to come over to your house, and meet your brother?"

"I do, I think he would enjoy meeting you, and I can teach you some basic sign language before we go, so you can communicate with him."

I felt so honored that Troy would request and suggest all that. "I'd love to meet Oliver, Troy. We better get started on teaching me basic sign language though."

Troy smiled as he got his hands ready. "I'm ready when you are."

I got my hands ready as well. "Ready."

I couldn't wait to learn some sign language, and meet Troy's brother Oliver as well. Troy must really believe in me to ask that of me. Troy might be too serious quite often, but it is all for a good cause, and is heart is always in the right place. I'm glad I met someone like him at this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Barry before we left. I was hanging with Barry in his room, we just stood in awkward silence.

Barry looked away from me for a bit, before setting his gaze on me. "Annie..."

I was both shocked and happy that he actually started a conversation first. "Yes Barry?"

Barry paused for a bit, before resuming. "We're finally leaving this place."

"Yeah" I nodded. "I can't believe it myself.

"I'm glad...I'm glad we all ended up okay in the end."

"I am as well, Barry."

Barry turned his gaze away from me again to look elsewhere, while I mentally sighed.

"I shouldn't be too hard on him though" I thought to myself. "Barry really is making progress."

"Anyway" I continued. "Are you excited to be getting back to engineering?"

Barry's eyes returned to me. "I am."

"What are you gonna do next with your talent?"

"I'm confident that I'll get hired by whatever engineering firm I apply to, so I'm not worried there. I...I got other things that require more attention?"

"And what would those things be Barry?"

Barry gulped before continuing. "I...I wanna be more confident and social...Therefore...If it isn't too much to ask...Annie...Will you continue being my friend and helping me to come out of my shell?"

My heart just lit up. "Barry...Of course I will!"

Barry smiled at me. "Thank you Annie, I'm happy that we'll still be friends."

I returned his smile. "We'll always be friends."

It made me so happy to hear that Barry wanted to overcome his insecurities, and that he wanted me to be the one to help him. But of course the best thing to hear, was that he always wanted to be friends with me. Barry may still be quite shy and hard to talk to, but I'm glad to have met him in this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Leah before we left. I was hanging with Leah in her room, we were excitingly chatting.

"Nothing makes me happier to hear that today is our last day here." said Leah. "We're going home!"

"I know right." I replied. "I'm excited to get back to my normal life."

"Me too Annie, but we definitely had some good times here, even if some of these guys were pigs."

"Yeah" I laughed at Leah's last statement.

"Not that I ever have any issues dealing with guys like that, but it is always annoying to deal with them."

"Yeah Leah, I get what you're saying."

"Moving on, I just can't wait to get back to riding."

"I can understand that for sure, I'm sure you missed it."

"Indeed I have Annie, nothing would feel better right now than to ride through the wind on a horse."

I smiled at Leah's passion for her talent.

"I got a big horse show coming up real soon after we get out, this horse show is also a big charity event."

"Really? What is the cause?"

"For women that have been victims of sexual assault, I plan to raise a lot of money for those poor women by riding."

"Wow, that truly is noble of you Leah."

"Thank Annie, would you wanna come to support, watch, and hang with me?"

"I'd simply love that."

Leah gave me the biggest smile ever. "Thank you so much Annie!"

"You're very welcome Leah" I returned the smile.

Leah was so happy to hear that I would come to her next horse show to support a cause she believes in and to watch her ride. It definitely made me happy to know I made her happy. Leah can be too judgmental sometimes, but she is always thinking of those who need it. I"m glad I met someone like her in this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Harry before we left. I was hanging with Harry in his room, we were enjoying a good conversation.

"Well Annie, I actually had a lot of fun here" said Harry.

"I did as well" I agreed.

"Yeah, I'm sure we all had some fun times, as well as some bad times. But soon, it is time for us to go."

"I can't wait" I smiled.

"Haha, same here."

"Are you excited for the Olympics?"

"Hell yeah Annie! This is what I been training for my whole life! I plan to bring home the gold metal! But honestly, it will be an amazing experience just to compete there, I still got my ultimate title as well."

"Glad to hear you think that way Harry."

"Yeah" Harry flashed me a smile.

"I bet you'll be doing a lot of archery practice as soon as we get home."

"You bet I will, the Olympics aren't for some time, but I need to be as ready as I can. Hey! I just had the best idea!"

"What is it Harry?"

"Annie! You gotta come watch me compete in the Olympics!"

"You want me to come watch you compete in the Olympics?"

"That is what I just said, isn't it?"

I laughed and gave Harry a playful punch on the arm. "Of course I will, I'll definitely be there to cheer you on."

Harry got so excited. "Thanks Annie! I can't lose with you there to support me."

"I'll always support you Harry.

It was so heart warming to see Harry be so excited about the fact that I'll be there for the biggest day of his archery career. Harry has been so nice to me, and I just have to support him in any way I can. Harry is a great friend and I'm so happy I met him at this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Grace before we left. I was hanging with Grace in her room, we were enjoying some amazing food she had cooked for us.

"How is everything Annie?" asked Grace.

I finished up the last bite and smiled at Grace. "Amazing as always Grace, thank you for the food"

Grace smiled in return. "You're very welcome hun, I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"This place may of given us some rough times, but your cooking always made me feel better."

Grace smiled again. "You're just too kind Annie."

I returned the smile to Grace. "I know I'll definitely miss eating your cooking back at home."

"I'll definitely come over every now and then to cook for you."

"I'd love that! Thank you so much Grace."

"You're very welcome again Annie."

"Are you excited to be getting back to planning events?"

"You bet! I know I got a lot of work for me coming up."

"I bet they'll all go amazing."

"Thanks Annie, and hey, I just had the best idea!"

"What is it?"

Grace came over to me and put her hands on my shoulders. "Annie, I want you to be my co-planner and help me plan some of my upcoming events."

"I was shocked at Grace's request. "Really? I never planned an event before, so I doubt I'll be any help."

Grace shook her head. "I don't care about your experience. I want you to help me plan some events because I know I can count on you for what matters."

My heart started to melt. "Okay Grace, I'll be your co-planner."

Grace got extremely happy and gave me a hug, which I returned.

"Thank you so much Annie! I know you'll be a big help!"

"I can't wait to get to work."

Grace was really happy to hear that I would be helping her with her upcoming events. I really didn't know what I could offer, but I would always do my best for someone like Grace. She really did take care of me during our time here and I consider her a great friend. I'm glad I met Grace at this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.

Today was our last day stuck in this school, and we would finally be leaving soon. However, we had a little bit of time left. I decided to use that time to talk with Zoe before we left. I was hanging with Zoe in her room, she was ignoring me and simply brushing her hair off of her shoulders.

"What do you want Annie?" asked Zoe.

I wasn't too shocked at Zoe's coldness, it was just the way she was. "Just wanted to chat with you before we gotta go."

Zoe shrugged. "Very well."

I smiled, knowing that even if Zoe was a bitch, she at least had warmed up to us a bit. "You ready to finally leave this school and go home?"

"Of course I am, don't be stupid. I got plenty of important things I have to work on, and being stuck in this hell of a place with you idiots is a waste of time."

I smiled again. "I see, you got any big clothes you're gonna be designing or any big fashion shows coming up."

Zoe was silent for a bit, before continuing. "Indeed, I got the biggest fashion show of my career coming up soon, and I got many projects I need to get started on."

"Awesome, I know they'll all turn out amazing."

"Of course they will, I don't have my title for no reason." Zoe brushed her hair off of her shoulders.

I continued to smile. "Silly me, of course."

Zoe rolled her eyes before turning them back to me. "However Annie, I was thinking about something."

"What would that be Zoe?"

"As always, I'll need a model to show off my designs and I was hoping you would be interested."

I was taken back. Zoe?! Hoping?! Me?! Model!?

"Well...I never modeled before."

"Shut up, none of those idiots have any talent, all they have to do is show off the designs. It isn't all about them, just the designs."

I sighed, but continued to smile. "Well, no way I can say no now."

Zoe turned around from me, but I swear I caught her smiling as well. "Good to know, we'll get to work right after we get back home."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

It was such a sweet moment, Zoe asking me for help and actually showing just a tiny bit of emotion. I'm more than happy to be Zoe' model, it definitely means a lot to her. She is a still a cold hearted bitch, but at least she keeps on warming up. I'm glad I met her at this school. None of us wanted what we got, but it all appeared to work out in the end. And with that, it was time for us to go now.


	64. Other Executions Part 1(EXTRA)

Gordon Jackson's Alternate Execution

Gordon walks through an abandoned film lot, which is still full of sets, props, equipment, etc. Gordon trips over a cord, which sends him falling to the ground. Once he hits the ground, he immediately grabs his knees in pain as they have both landed on planks full of nails, and now several nails are pricking Gordon's knees. As Gordon sits there in pain, disaster starts to happen. The cord he tripped over causes two giant set lights to both fall straight down on Gordon's head, bringing him back down to the ground. Gordon struggles to get back up, as now his head is bleeding with blub shards stuck in his head. Then, a giant set piece board falls right onto Gordon's body, keeping him pinned to the ground while crushing him. Next, a giant boom pole falls straight into Gordon's face and pierces right through it. Gordon is in extreme pain as the rest of the film lot falls onto him, killing him quickly.

Annie Bless's Execution

Annie is in a large room with over 100 mental patients. She appears to be the center of attention as they all sit in chairs, facing her, who is sitting in her own chair. Annie is shaking to death as she is really scared. Out of nowhere, all the mental patients jump out of their chairs and storm over to Annie, who is still too scared to move. They grab her and bring her to the ground. The mental patients punch, kick, scratch, and bite at her, Annie stands no chance at all. They physically assault her all over her body, this includes her head, face, stomach, legs, throat and back. The mental patients eventually start stomping on her body for a bit, after that, they run away. Annie is long dead, her body lays beaten, bloody, and bruising on the ground.

Clay Adamson's Execution

Clay stands in a room, with giant chains clamped into his arms, legs, and head. Clay is freaking out to the point, he starts crying. Bat Wing appears and reveals Clay will be asked a series of trivia questions, and for each one he gets wrong, a chain will yank off an attached body part. Clay gets really scared, as the questions began. At first, they appear to be really complicated trivia questions, but Clay starts to relax a bit as he is the ultimate trivia master. Clay breezes through the questions for awhile, but then Bat Wing asks a question that is impossible for Clay to know. Clay freezes in fear and confusion. Bat Wing tells him to answer soon or a chain will be yanked. Clay blurts out a random answer, which is wrong. The chain attached to Clay's right leg is yanked off, which yanks off his right leg as well. Clay screams in pain. Bat Wing asks another impossible question, and the same thing happens to Clay's left arm. Clay slowly gets weaker as he starts to bleed out. The same thing happens to Clay's right arm and left leg. Bat Wing asks one final impossible question. Clay struggles to answer as he has lost all his limbs and is just a floating body. Clay gives the wrong answer and is head is yanked off by the final chain, leaving Clay's bloody body to fall to the ground.

Bethany Howard's Execution

Bethany is tied to a tackling dummy on a football field, she tries to look brave, but she is scared to death. Several Bat Wing look alike football players walk up to where Bethany is. They get ready to charge. One by one, they run full speed at Bethany and badly damage her once they tackle her. Bethany starts to bleed from all the assaults. The final Bat Wing football player charges so fast at Bethany, he knocks her to the ground and frees her from the tackle dummy. Bethany is still very bloody and beaten, she struggles to get back up. One more Bat Wing football player quickly digs a hole with a shovel. Once he is done, another Bat Wing football player picks up Bethany and puts her in the hole, standing up. The dirt is quickly added back to the hole with Bethany in it, until only her head is visible. One final Bat Wing football player appears with giant, sharp cleats. Bethany stares before closing her eyes, expecting this is the end for her. The final Bat Wing football player runs full speed towards Bethany, he kicks her head with his cleat once he reaches her. The kick is so strong, it knocks her head off and flies over the goal post, bleeding the entire time. Bethany's head falls to the ground after flying in the air.

Grace Stonewell's Execution

A big birthday party takes place in a giant room full of Bat Wing robots. Hang from the ceiling like a pinata is Grace, she is hogtied and crying her eyes out. Grace is slowly lowered down to the party guests, which consists of a bunch of little Bat Wing robot children. One of them steps up to Grace with a stick, it begins to whack Grace with the stick. It doesn't do much damage, but it still hurts Grace. After a few whacks, the Bat Wing robot child passes the stick to another one and it whacks Grace with the stick. This goes on for many children until Grace is bruising all over and starting to bleed a bit. Grace continues to cry. Then, one child comes up to Grace with an axe. Grace is horrified and starts to cry harder. The Bat Wing robot child begins to whack Grace with the axe, resulting in several big wounds and Grace starting to bleed. After a few whacks, the child passes it to the next one, and the process repeats like the stick. After many children, Grace is on the verge of death with so many wounds. Finally, the first Bat Wing robot child comes up to to Grace with a giant sword. It simply impales Grace in the stomach, and drags the sword up and down her body several times. Grace quickly dies as all of her organs and intestines fall out to the ground. The Bat Wing robot children swarm over them like candy fall from a pinata as Grace's body continues to hang and bleed in the air.

Seth Brockman's Execution

Seth is lying on his back, strapped to a table. He is in a dark room and is really freaking out. Bat Wing walks up to him with a giant kart of food. Seth still looks freaked out, but also a little bit happy when he sees all the food. One by one, Bat Wing picks up a piece of food and shoves it into Seth's mouth. Seth is able to quickly chew and swallow all the food he is given for a bit, but eventually Bat Wing really picks up the pace with shoving food into Seth's mouth, it becomes too much for Seth. Seth struggles to chew and swallow with all the food in his mouth, he starts to choke and cough up some food, but there is still too much in his mouth. Seth is close to choking to death, when out of nowhere, multiple tubes of liquid food stabbed into Seth's body. The quickly insert so much food into his system, Seth starts to really expand. Seth eventually gets too huge and explodes with blood, organs, and pieces of his body going all over the room he was in.

Harry Amsterdam's Execution

Harry is running for his life in a big, open, grass field. Harry is really terrified, but keeps on running. After running for a bit more, Harry is shot in the right left with a arrow, and it pierces it. Harry cries in pain and falls to the ground. After holding onto his pierced leg, Harry gets back up and tries to limp away, however another arrows pierces Harry's left leg. Harry cries out again and falls back to the ground. After struggling in pain for a bit more, Harry tries to keep on moving using his hands. But after only moving a few feet, both of Harry's hands are pierced with arrows. Harry stops dragging himself and cries out in pain, while struggling on the ground. While Harry is struggling, two arrows fall down from the sky and hit Harry in both of his eyes. Unable to see now, Harry just continues to struggle on the ground. Not much longer though, an arrow gets Harry in the heart. Harry stops moving and slowly starts to die, he doesn't have much time left. But immediately after all that, a swarm of arrow's comes straight down onto Harry, piercing him all over. Harry is quickly dead and lies in his own blood with his body fully pierced by arrows.


End file.
